Chaco Canyon - Kin Kletso Great House       This McElmo-style great house in Chaco Canyon is located about one-half mile west of Pueblo Bonito. The building's rectangular ground plan combines two typical square McElmo buildings, each with two central kivas surrounded by room suites. Construction evidence suggests that the west unit was built first and the east unit was added shortly thereafter.       Original Kin Kletso Photos from Photo4Phood.com 35k.jpg 63k.jpg 56k.jpg 39k.jpg The building rose to three stories on the north, terracing down to two stories in the rest of the structure. A two-story kiva at the edge of the west unit has been identified as a tower kiva. Like all McElmo buildings, there was no associated great kiva, no enclosed plaza, and the veneer style was of squared soft yellow sandstone blocks with a dimpled surface. Tree-ring dates from the site show a very short construction span of about A.D. 1125-30.       Kin Kletso is often called "yellow house," the translation of this Navajo name. The prehistoric trail that serves as the primary visitor access to Pueblo Alto and the Pueblo Bonito overlook begins at Yellow House. Text and Ruins Map from The Chaco Handbook - An Encyclopedic Guide - Vivian & Hilpert 2002.