Zuni Pueblo Middle Village, New Mexico

In partnership with the Zuni Tribe, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center was awarded $10,000 in funding from the David Bonderman Southwest Intervention Fund, part of the National Trust Preservation Funds, to support the Zuni Kiva Architectural Condition Assessment and Treatment Plan Project.

The kivas are significant religious buildings of the Kachina (Kokko) religion and are essential to Zuni life, culture, and community. Three of the six Zuni kivas have been non-functional for 30 years due to deterioration, while the remaining three kivas in use must sustain the activities of all six kiva groups. Consequently, these buildings are deteriorating rapidly.

To address these concerns, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center contracted with engineering and architectural firm, Huitt-Zollars, Inc., to prepare condition assessments, treatment plans, and project budgets for two kiva rehabilitation projects and three kiva reconstruction projects in the Middle Village at the Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico. The resulting plans address safety concerns, modernize the structures to serve the growing Zuni community for the long term, and maintain the essential traditional religious features of Zuni kivas in the Middle Village. The Zuni Tribe and Crow Canyon Archaeological Center will use these plans to raise additional funds for the next phase of rehabilitation of the kivas.