What cultures constructed kivas and what is the purpose of kiva?

Answer 1

Kivas are square underground religious structures that are accessed by a ladder in the roof used by the different Pueblo people, like the Hopi, in the American Southwest. Among modern peoples, they are associated with the Kachina beliefs. The Pueblos peoples ancestors, often called the Anasazi or Hisatsinom, also had kivas. So did other ancient peoples of the American Southwest. The kachina belief system is thought to have emerged around 1250 or so. Kivas, however, pre-date this by quite a bit. Some kivas were very large such as the Great Kiva at the so-called Aztec Ruins ( built in the 11th century) near Farmington, NM, where it is thought the roof weighed up to 95 tons. Some kivas such as the ones at Mesa Verde were above ground. Many of the older and larger kivas were round. It is thought that the activities that took place in them changed over the centuries. Today, religious societies meet, prepare, pray, and initiate members in them. The masked dancers emerge from them by climbing out from under the ground up a ladder. Kiva societies are closed to non-members and even other Hopi are not allowed in another kiva.