Structure 3-S, subterranean kiva
About this Structure
General Location
Lower west side; base of talus slope near canyon bottom.
Specific Location
South of Structure 2-S and a large boulder with a possible tower on top of it.
Interpretive Type
Not assigned.
Structure Use
Kiva-type use based on the presence of a hearth and a possible sipapu; floor associated artifacts (an incomplete awl, a complete core, and an incomplete projectile point) and roof fall artifacts (a complete peckingstone, two incomplete projectile points, and an incomplete mano) suggest that a variety of domestic activities took place in the kiva and/or on top of the kiva in the courtyard.
Dating
Abandonment
A few items were left on the floor, and possibly the roof, however, most of them were not complete. Roof appears to have been intentionally dismantled. The paucity of floor artifacts and the absence of roof timbers suggest a planned abandonment or that items may have been salvaged by others after the structure was no longer in use. Ash lens in roof fall may represent limited burning of roof debris, secondary refuse, or an old ash deposit that rested on the roof and collapsed with it.
Postabandonment
Kiva filled with wall fall and eolian and alluvial deposits.
Excavation Details
Groups to Which This Study Unit was Assigned
See The Archaeology of Woods Canyon Pueblo (specifically the chapters on architecture, chronology, and artifacts) for more information on study unit groupings at Woods Canyon Pueblo.
Type | ID | Description |
area | 2 | Area of canyon bottom |
section | LW | Lower west side (canyon bottom) |
subperiod | 8 | Early Pueblo III (A.D. 1140-1225) |