Kin Bineola Shrine

Kin Bineola is located 17 km southwest of Chaco Canyon. It is E shaped, with dimensions of 106.5 m wide and 45.6 m across. It contains ten kivas, eight of which are enclosed in room blocks, and the other two are elevated or multi-storied. In addition, there are estimated to be 105 ground floor rooms, 58 second story rooms, and 34 third story rooms. Like Tsin Kletsin, there are two clusters of construction dates, AD 942-943 and AD 1111-11120, which reveals that there was an initial construction period, followed by a period of inactivity, which led to a later phase of additions to the great house. A double wall is present, which scholars believe was built to maximize the visual potential of the great house (Marshall et al. 1979).

The Kin Bineola Shrine is located on a mesa rim above Kin Bineola towards the northeast. It appears to be the remains of a barrel-type shrine, but has collapsed, possibly through weathering. The visual benefits of this placement are impressive. From this shrine, starting from the southeast and panning south, one can see: Mt. Taylor, Borrego Pass, Hosta Butte, Little Hosta, Dalton Pass, Chuska Peak, Washington Pass, Crumbled House, Beautiful Mountain, Whiterock, San Juan Mountains, Huerfano Mesa, and West Point and South Mesa of Chaco Canyon. Of these landmarks, Mt. Taylor, Hosta Butte, Huerfano Mesa, West Point and South Mesa all are known house shrines.