TPO5

The reading claims that there are three competing theories about the use of great houses of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. However, the professor states that none of these theories about used of these houses is convincing and he refutes each of the author's theories.

First, the article avers that one theory that the Chaco structures were purely residential, with each housing hundreds of people and they similar to the large, well-known apartment buildings at Taos. In contrast, the speaker opposes this point by stating that it is true that the outside of these house is similar to native buildings, but the inside is doubted to live by hundreds of people. In fact, he says that if hundreds of people live there, it should have a lot of fire places, but there are a few of them. He confirms that a fire place is important to live there so it could't been a residential.

Second, the passage posits that the second theory contends that the Chaco structures were used to store food supplies such as grain maize. On the other hand, the lecturer counters this point by saying that this theory is unsupported by evidence. Actually, excavation approved that there were not maize containers found there. In addition, if it was used as a storage, whey they didn't find spilled maize, remains of maize, or even big containers.

Third, the article asserts that the third theory proposes that houses were used as ceremonial centers. Conversely, the professor casts doubt on this point by explaining that this theory is not supported also. He argues that there were many materials found in the location. He gives an example, there were large amount buildings such as sand, containers, and tools and he mentions that it might be trash of construction materials. besides, the pots found there could be trash that left by workers after meals and they were not for ceremony purpose