Last updated on .
Hungo Pavi is an Ancestral Puebloan great house at Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s the first great house on the nine-mile loop road in the park, and is two miles from the visitor center.
The Trail
It’s possible to walk through the site on a short ¼ mile round-trip trail, and a free trail guide is available online. The site remains unexcavated and looks much like it did when it was rediscovered on the Washington Expedition in 1849. It’s a good chance to see what a great house looks like without any excavation.
Features
Hungo Pavi contained over 150 rooms, a great kiva, and an enclosed plaza. It was built in the 11th century and is the third largest great house in the park.
We joined a ranger guided hike to learn more. The ranger pointed out several features, such as a few original logs used in the construction as well as the brickwork.
He showed us how the masonry design added strength and stability to the structure.
