The argument that appeals most strongly to many in supporting the
theory that Sun Temple was a ceremonial building is the unity shown in
its construction. A preconceived plan existed in the minds of the
builders before they began work on the main building. Sun Temple was
not constructed haphazardly, nor was its form due to addition of one
clan after another, each adding rooms to a preexisting nucleus. There
is no indication of patching one building to another, so evident at
Cliff Palace and other large cliff dwellings. The construction of the
recess in the south wall, situated exactly, to an inch, midway in its
length, shows it was planned from the beginning.
We can hardly believe that one clan could have been numerous enough to
construct a house so large and massive. Its walls are too extensive;
the work of dressing the stones too great. The construction of Sun
Temple presumably represents the cooperative efforts of many clans
from adjacent cliff dwellings uniting in a common purpose. Such a
united effort represents a higher state of sociological development
than a loosely connected population of a cliff dwelling.