This restored Kiva is one of the main attractions at this Monument. This was used for various religious ceremonies. There were signs stating that this was a sacred place, and that we should be quiet and show proper respect.
This photo on the official US Park Service brochure/map (which I get at every Park and Monument I visit) shows the ruins from overhead. The Great Kiva is the large, round structure in the lower center of the picture. I entered at the bottom and exited in the square room at the top, as seen in the photo:
This map was in the booklet each visitor was loaned, to use while touring the site and explaining what we were seeing at the various numbered stops. The Visitor Center is at the lower left and I traveled through the property in a counter-clockwise direction:
After going through the main doorway, steps led down to a lower level where the ceremonies actually took place:
The square and rectangular pits are seen in many of the photos of kivas here and at Chaco Canyon, which I visited earlier in the week.
