Mogollon Pithouses

Many early dwellers of the American Southwest lived in pithouses, which were partly underground and used the surrounding earth as insulation against the weather. Ancient builders dug a small pit in the ground and used posts to support a roof. The roof and walls were made with horizontal beams covered with branches, grasses, and an outer surface of mud plaster. These dwellings remained relatively cool in the summer, but also protected people from the cold in the winter. Pithouses commonly had a central fire pit, and were often entered through an opening in the roof.

This type of structure was common among many ancient cultures throughout America, including the Alaskan Inuit. In the southwest Pueblo cultures, these underground houses evolved into the kiva and are still in use today for sacred and social purposes.

Model of a Mogollon Pithouse