Una Vida is the fifth larger great house of Chaco Canyon located about three miles east of Pueblo Bonito, at the conjunction of two main water sources of the region: the Chaco Wash and the Fajada Wash.
According to tree-ring dates, constructions at Una Vida began around AD 800, at the same time as Pueblo Bonito, and continued for over two centuries. The site has the usual D-shape and contains about 160 rooms. Some room blocks were up to three stories high. Una Vida presents one great kiva in the southern side of the main plaza and multiple small kivas.
The site is also surrounded by many examples of Anasazi rock art and petroglyphs depicting human figures, geometric forms and solar signs.
The site was firstly recorded in the mid-19th century by US military surveying the territories of modern Mew Mexico, acquired after the war against Mexico, and it was only partially excavated between the 1950s and 1960s.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Ancient Pueblo Cultures, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Kantner, John, 2004, Ancient Puebloan Southwest, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. UK
Vivian, R. Gwinn and Bruce Hilpert, 2002, The Chaco Handbook. An Encyclopedic Guide. The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.