# Are the great houses aligned to solar and lunar directions, or do their orientations follow building tradition and topography? · Great houses of Chaco Canyon > Three answers have been proposed. Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit… leads… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T16:39:42+00:00 --- **0** # Are the great houses aligned to solar and lunar directions, or do their orientations follow building tradition and topography? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·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)·3 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Three answers have been proposed. Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit… leads, with evidence 2 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible. ## Why it matters The Solstice Project's survey is the main evidence that Chacoan builders built the moon as well as the sun into their largest buildings. The alternative is that the orientations follow an older house plan and the lie of the canyon, and that a few cardinal walls and solstice sightlines are the only astronomy intended⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTAZ60AS8/the-primary-architecture-of-the-chacoan-culture-a)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTC680BZM/great-houses-and-the-sun-astronomy-of-chaco-canyon). ## Answers 3 [**Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KVRCA6JSV/most-great-houses-face-south-to-south-south-east-continuing) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 2 for Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KVS3R2YBX/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**Twelve of the fourteen major buildings were oriented to the cardinal directions, the solstice, or the moon's…** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/answers/ANS0D9KVQ587JDN/twelve-of-the-fourteen-major-buildings-were-oriented-to-the) Tested, but the results don't decide it Evidence: 3 for, 1 against Disputed ## History 1. 2007[Sofaer puts forward: twelve of the fourteen major buildings were oriented to the cardinal directions, the solstice, or the moon's…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTAZ60AS8/the-primary-architecture-of-the-chacoan-culture-a) 1. 2007[Sofaer: pueblo Bonito's principal interior wall is at 0.21° ± 0.14° and its perpendicular at -89.79°, within a…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTAZ60AS8/the-primary-architecture-of-the-chacoan-culture-a)For: Twelve of the fourteen major buildings were oriented to the cardinal directions, the solstice, or the moon's… 1. 2014[Malville & Munro puts forward: most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTC680BZM/great-houses-and-the-sun-astronomy-of-chaco-canyon) 1. 2014[Malville & Munro: claimed alignments between great houses to the standstills appear to result from local topography.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTC680BZM/great-houses-and-the-sun-astronomy-of-chaco-canyon)Against: Twelve of the fourteen major buildings were oriented to the cardinal directions, the solstice, or the moon's… 1. 2014[Malville & Munro: basketmaker III pit structures at Shabik'eshchee face south or south-south-east; the tradition continues…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D9KTC680BZM/great-houses-and-the-sun-astronomy-of-chaco-canyon)For: Most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit… 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4VA5QRF/are-the-great-houses-aligned-to-solar-and-lunar-directions%23add-source) Where it fits Great houses of Chaco Canyon [**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)Key question · most likely the Sun Dagger marks the solstices, equinoxes and lunar standstills, and great houses and shrines are aligned… **Are the great houses aligned to solar and lunar directions, or do their orientations follow building tradition and topography?** You're here · most great houses face south to south-south-east, continuing the orientation of earlier pit houses and unit… [Was the Fajada Butte spiral made and used as a solar calendar?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/chaco-canyon/questions/QST0D9KV4BP04RM/was-the-fajada-butte-spiral-made-and-used-as-a-solar)Most likely · the site was a sun shrine where the solstices and equinoxes were watched and honoured, not a calendar for… [ Ask a question under this one ]