As early as the twelfth century A D the settlements of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico in the American Southwest were notable for their great houses massive stone buildings that contain hundreds of rooms and often stand three or four stories high Archaeo

Undoubtedly, old building structures has always been a controversial topic among archaeologists. More specifically the writer puts forth on some ideas about how these great houses were used. However the professor points out that there are some serious flaws with the writer's claim. He more or less addresses the problem with each point made in the reading.

First, the writer claims that the Chaco structures were purely residential, with each housing hundreds of people. But the professor refutes with this idea and says that there were not enough fireplaces for that amount of people to satisfy their cooking needs. He explains that there were only 10 fireplaces at one of the largest of these great houses which shows that these houses were not residential.

Secondly, the reading states that one of the theories contends that the Chaco structures were used to store food supplies. Author points out that the size of the great houses would make them very suitable for storing grain maize. The professor, not surprisingly though, believes that there is not enough evidence to prove such theory. Excavations of houses does not show any trace of containers or spilled maize in great houses.

Finally, the author wraps up the topic by mentioning third theory, which proposes that houses were used as ceremonial centers. Excavations of the mound revealed deposits containing a surprisingly large number of broken pots, which can be evidence that people gathered at Pueblo Alto for special ceremonies. Then again, the professor stays on the other side of the argument and says that, those mounds contain a lot of other things like rocks and construction materials beside broken pots. He thinks they all can be trash and were thrown away as useless stuff.

In conclusion, the author and the professor obviously hold opposing views about use of great houses.