Hooded Fireplace Pueblito, On a northern point of Superior Mesa about 700 meters west of Largo Canyon Wash, Dulce, Rio Arriba County, NM

Significance: The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and subsequent Spanish reconquest of 1692 forced many pueblo tribes to flee northwestward and seek temporary refuge in the traditional homeland of the Navajo, Dinetah. Hooded Fireplace Pueblito was one such refugee site. Subsequent attack by the Indians from the north, including the Ute, in combination with Spanish hostility, resulted in the construction of these defensive structures. This period is called the Gobernador Phase by archeologists. Hooded Fireplace Pueblito is located on a low sage-covered bench near Largo Canyon and has expansive views to the east and to the north. Larger than most pueblitos, the sandstone structure contains at least six ground-floor rooms. At least three of these rooms apparently had second stories. Portions of the original roof and roof hatch have survived. The pueblito reflects both Spanish and Pueblo architectural elements. The most notable Spanish detail involves the corner, hooded fireplace located in one of the rooms. The site also contains three large stone circles, probably the foundations for Navajo forked stick hogans, and a scatter of surface artifacts. Gobernador polychrome and Dinetah gray pottery sherds, usually associated with Pueblo Indians, are the most common ceramic found at the site. An analysis of the ceramics at the site suggest that Hooded Fireplace was probably occupied during the first half of the 18th century.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N564
Survey number: HABS NM-160