As early as the twelfth century a. d. , the settlements of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico in the American Southwest were notable for their “great houses, ” massive stone buildings that contain hundreds of rooms and often stand three or four stories high. Arc v.3

The reading presents three theories to explain how Chaco buildings were used. Conversely, the lecuture casts doubt on the assumptions made in the passage. First, the reading says that one theory states that the buildings were used for residential purposes, each house supporting hundreds of people. Supporters of this theory says that the buildings share some architectural characteristics with other well-known appartments in other region of Mexico. However, the lecture claims that even if the façade of the buildings look similar to other residential properties, their internal structures are not adapted to domestical purposes. For example, there are few fire places, which people needed to prepare food. Because of that, the lecture says that the building could not have been used as a residence. Next, the passage states that another theory is that the buildings may have been used as storage for food supplies. Chaco people cultivated grain maize and they may have used the buildings to store this food for the future. The lecture counters this by saying that excavations in the region did not find substancial traces of maize or remains of a big container to buttress that conclusion. Last, the reading presents a thirdy theory that claims that Chaco structures may have been used as ceremonial centers. Excavations in the area revealed deposits containing a relevant number of broken pots. These objects may have been discarded after being used to prepare and serve meal during ceremonies, like reported by other by other Native American cultures. The lecture, in contrast, says that not only pots were found during the excavation, but also lots of other materials like sand, stone and other regular objects which could have been used by the construction workers.