# Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…

> Most likely: Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit pueblos; the canyon's shape sets…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KVRCA6JSV/most-great-houses-face-south-to-south-south-east-continuing  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Great houses of Chaco Canyon](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon)[Are the great houses aligned to solar and lunar directions, or do their orientations follow building tradition and topography?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions)Answer

Answer · Great houses of Chaco Canyon

# Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…

Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit pueblos; the canyon's shape sets the lines between them, and only a few cardinal walls and solstice sightlines were intended.

**Most likely** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Most likely** Its tests partly supported it: two pieces of evidence for, none against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Great-house orientations match those of earlier pit structures and small houses in the region.
- Solstice horizon sightlines exist at the late great houses whatever their walls' orientation.

## What would rule it out

- Great-house orientations that depart from the regional tradition and cluster on the lunar azimuths.

## Evidence 2 for · none against

[Basketmaker III pit structures at Shabik'eshchee face south or south-south-east; the tradition continues…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/evidence/EVD0D9KVRM4365J/basketmaker-iii-pit-structures-at-shabikeshchee-face-south)

Suggestive

FOR

[Solstice sunrise or sunset horizon sightlines are present at most of the late Bonito-phase great houses.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/evidence/EVD0D9KVRVY7664/solstice-sunrise-or-sunset-horizon-sightlines-are-present-at)

Suggestive

FOR

## The questions it answers

[Are the great houses aligned to solar and lunar directions, or do their orientations follow building tradition and topography?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions)

Part of [Do the buildings and markers at Chaco encode astronomy?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KTT3J4BBQ/do-the-buildings-and-markers-at-chaco-encode-astronomy)

Most likelyMost great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit… [Answer ANS0D9KVRCA6JSV]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D9KVRCA6JSV
```

Key

**ANS** 0D9KVRCA6JSV

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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