The cliff houses considered in the preceding pages are habitations.
There are also specialized buildings on the Mesa Verde which were
never inhabited but were used for other purposes. Two of these
presumably were devoted solely to ceremonial purposes and are known as
Sun Temple and Fire Temple.
Sun Temple is situated west of Cliff Palace, on the promontory formed
by the confluence of Cliff and Fewkes Canyons. Up to the year 1915 the
site of Sun Temple was a mound of earth and stones, all showing
artificial working or the pecking of primitive stone hammers. This
mound had a circular depression in the middle and its surface was
covered with trees and bushes. No high walls projected above the
ground nor was there any intimation of the size or character of the
buried building. It was believed to be a pueblo or communal
habitation. Excavation of this mound brought into view one of the most
unusual buildings in the park.
Sun Temple is a type of ruin hitherto unknown in the park. The
building excavated shows excellent masonry and is the most mysterious
form yet discovered in a region rich in prehistoric remains. Although
at first there was some doubt as to the use of this building, it was
early recognized that it was not constructed for habitation, and it is
now believed that it was intended for the performance of rites and
ceremonies; the first of its type devoted to religious purposes yet
recognized in the Southwest.
The ruin was purposely constructed on a commanding promontory in the
neighborhood of large inhabited cliff houses. It sets somewhat back
from the edge of the canyon, but near enough to make it clearly
visible from all sides, especially the neighboring mesas. It must have
presented an imposing appearance rising on top of a point high above
inaccessible, perpendicular cliffs. No better place could have been
chosen for a religious building in which the inhabitants of many cliff
dwellings could gather and together perform their great ceremonial
dramas.
The ground plan of the ruin has the form of the letter D. The building
is in two sections, the larger of which, taken separately, is also
D-shaped. This is considered the original building. The addition
enlarging it is regarded as an annex. The south wall, which is
straight and includes both the original building and the annex, is
131.7 feet long. The ruin is 64 feet wide.
There are about 1,000 feet of walls in the whole building. These walls
average 4 feet in thickness, and are double, enclosing a central core
of rubble and adobe. They are uniformly well made.
The fine masonry, the decorated stones that occur in it, and the unity
of plan stamp Sun Temple as the highest example of Mesa Verde
architecture.
The walls were constructed of the sandstone of the neighborhood. Many
stone hammers and pecking stones were found in the vicinity.