Pueblo Bonito

ruin, New Mexico, United States

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July 13, 2026

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Pueblo Bonito is a significant Ancestral Puebloan ruin located in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, United States. This ancient site, primarily constructed in the 10th century, served as a major administrative, economic, and ceremonial center for the Ancestral Pueblo people between 850 and 1250 CE.1

The architecture of Pueblo Bonito is notable for its sophistication, featuring approximately 800 rooms and 39 kivas (subterranean ceremonial chambers). The inhabitants were skilled in pottery, jewelry making, architecture, and masonry. Pueblo Bonito was connected to numerous other settlements via an extensive network of engineered roads. The Ancestral Puebloans, ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians, eventually abandoned such sites, possibly due to a severe drought between 1276 and 1299 CE.12

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Native American art
Southwest
…remarkable multistoried structures, some—such as Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico—sheltering hundreds of families in more than 400 rooms.
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…remarkable multistoried structures, some—such as Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico—sheltering hundreds of families in more than 400 rooms.
Read More

Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Pueblo Bonito (built mainly in the 10th century), the largest and most completely excavated site, contained about 800 rooms and 39 kivas (round, subterranean ceremonial chambers). The excavations indicate that the inhabitants excelled in pottery, jewelry, architecture, and masonry. Artifacts are displayed at the visitor…
Read More
Pueblo Bonito (built mainly in the 10th century), the largest and most completely excavated site, contained about 800 rooms and 39 kivas (round, subterranean ceremonial chambers). The excavations indicate that the inhabitants excelled in pottery, jewelry, architecture, and masonry. Artifacts are displayed at the visitor…
Read More

jewelry
North American
The Pueblo Bonito discoveries document this activity from pre-Columbian times. At the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, the Navajo learned to work silver from Mexican craftsmen and developed this skill with great ability, reworking motifs of Spanish American origin in their traditional…
Read More
The Pueblo Bonito discoveries document this activity from pre-Columbian times. At the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, the Navajo learned to work silver from Mexican craftsmen and developed this skill with great ability, reworking motifs of Spanish American origin in their traditional…
Read More