Pueblo Architecture: An Overview

The southwestern Pueblo people have distinct architectural techniques that not only are influenced by their surroundings, but also compliment them. Concentrating on the Acoma Pueblo of New Mexico -- the oldest continuously occupied community in the United States - and Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon - an example of one of if not the most impressive example of Puebloan architecture - one can build a mental cross section of the a southwestern Pueblo. At the same time, understanding this will most likely allow one to appreciate the planning, engineering skill, and complex ritual symbolism that this architecture is based on. Pueblo architecture of the southwest was varied, but still shared a host of parallels as seen in the architecture of two standout Pueblo sites in the southwest: Acoma Pueblo and Pueblo Bonito.

Before explaining exactly what a Pueblo is and their significance, it would be of practical use to examine the materials that these structures were composed of. Adobe and stone were the principle building materials of all southwestern Pueblos as other building materials, especially wood, were quite scarce and hard to come by in the region. Adobe is a building material composed of sandy clay and straw or some other binding agent, which can be cast into bricks or shaped directly into walls with or without using wooden frames. A downside of adobe construction in most areas is that it is, "Easily damaged by excessive moisture," yet the southwest provided a very conducive environment for the proliferation of adobe construction. Between the Mojave Desert in Nevada and Arizona; the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, California and Sonora; and the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico and Chihuahua; the hot, arid, dry climate of the southwest provides an exemplary proving ground for the strength of adobe.