Akiva (alsoestufa[1]) is a space used byPuebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with thekachina belief system. Among the modernHopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground, and used for spiritualceremonies and aplace of worship.
Similarsubterranean rooms are found among ruins in theSouthwestern United States, indicating uses by the ancient peoples of the region including theancestral Puebloans, theMogollon, and theHohokam.[2] Those used by the ancient Pueblos of thePueblo I Period and following, designated by thePecos Classification system developed by archaeologists, were usually round and evolved from simplerpit-houses. For the Ancestral Puebloans, these rooms are believed to have had a variety of functions, including domestic residence along with social and ceremonial purposes.[3]
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During the late 8th century,Mesa Verdeans started building square pit structures that archeologists call protokivas. They were typically 3 or 4 feet (90 or 120 cm) deep and 12 to 20 feet (4 to 6 m) in diameter. By the mid-10th and early 11th centuries, these had evolved into smaller circular structures called kivas, which were usually 12 to 15 feet (4 to 5 m) across. Mesa Verde-style kivas included a feature from earlier times called asipapu, which is a hole dug in the north of the chamber that is thought to represent the Ancestral Puebloans' place of emergence from the underworld.[4][5]
When designating an ancient room as akiva, archaeologists make assumptions about the room's original functions and how those functions may be similar to or differ from those used in modern practice. Thekachina belief system appears to have emerged in thepre-Columbian Southwest around 1250, while kiva-like structures occurred much earlier. This suggests that the room's older functions may have been changed or adapted to suit the new religious practice.
As cultural changes occurred, particularly during thePueblo III Period between 1150 and 1300, kivas had a prominent place in the community. However, some kivas were built above ground. Kiva architecture became more elaborate, with tower and great kivas incorporating specialized floor features. For example, kivas inMesa Verde National Park were generally keyhole-shaped. Finding one kiva for each five or six rooms was normal in most larger communities. Kiva destruction, primarily by burning, has been seen as a strong archaeological indicator of conflict and warfare during this period.
Fifteen top rooms encircle the central chamber of the vast Great Kiva atAztec Ruins National Monument.
[The rooms'] purpose is unclear. ... Each had an exterior doorway to the plaza. ... Four massive pillars of alternating masonry and horizontal poles held up the ceiling beams, which in turn supported an estimated 95-ton roof. Each pillar rested on four shaped-stone disks, weighing about 355 pounds [160 kg] apiece. These discs are of limestone, which came from mountains at least 40 mi (60 km) away.[6]
After 1325 or 1350, except in theHopi andPueblo region, the ratio changed from 60 to 90 rooms for each kiva. This may indicate a religious or organizational change within the society, perhaps affecting the status and number of clans among the Pueblo people.
Great kivas differ from regular kivas, which archeologists call Chaco-style kivas (althoughChaco Canyon also features great kivas), in several ways; first and foremost, great kivas are always much larger and deeper than Chaco-style kivas. Whereas the walls of great kivas always extend above the surrounding landscape, the walls of Chaco-style kivas do not, but are instead flush with the surrounding landscape. Chaco-style kivas are often found incorporated into the central room blocks of great houses, but great kivas are always separate from core structures. Great kivas almost always have a bench that encircles the inner space, but this feature is not found in Chaco-style kivas. Great kivas also tend to include floor vaults, which might have served as foot drums for ceremonial dancers, but Chaco-style kivas do not.[7] Great kivas are believed to be the first public buildings constructed in theMesa Verde region.[8]
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