T-SHAPED DOORS OF THE SOUTHWEST & MEXICO - Unravelling an Architectural Riddle

Jennifer Bjarnason
Jun 2, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Jun 30, 2024

T-Shaped Door

Las Ventanas, Chihuahua Mexico

Photo Courtesy of INAH

The most striking architectural feature stamped into the minds of anyone who visits Pueblo sites of the Southwestern United States or Paquime & the Sierra Madres of northern Mexico, are the striking and unforgettable T-Shaped doors.

I am unsure who gave these doorways such a name, as for me, most look much more like a keyhole for an old fashioned lock, than a T. These unusual openings are also suspiciously similar to some architectural features seen at the southern Maya site of Palenque, among others.

Archaeologists Dr. Steve Lekson and Marc Callis debate where these doors originated, with Lekson arguing for the Southwestern US of Oasisamerica and Callis claiming southern Mexico´s Mesoamerica. Both scholars present well researched and documented positions.

Why does this matter? It is clear that one culture invented this architectural feature while the other adopted it. Archaeologists still struggle to understand what these doors represented, which means confirming their origins is a starting point for understanding their cultural or functional purpose.

T-Shaped Door on the Right

Cueva de la Olla, Chihuahua Mexico

Photo Courtesy of INAH

The problem in deciphering who invented this interesting feature is due to the coinciding rise of rock structures dating to similar or overlapping periods. The ruins of Chaco Canyon date from 850-1125 CE, while the Aztec Ruins north of there (not to be confused with the Mexica of Mesoamerica) date from 1110-1275. The Mogollon architecture of Cueva de la Olla began around 1100 CE, with the construction of Paquime a little later, between 1250-1450. In southern Mexico, the Classic Maya temples of Palenque that are so well known were constructed between 600-900 CE. These earlier dates for the Maya give Callis points for the theory that this symbol was used here first. Another part of the puzzle is the Maya glyph for IK`, which represents wind & breath.

Maya glyph IK` Represents Wind & Breath

Photo Source Unknown

The Maya glyph Ik` is translated to mean wind and breath, interchangeably. More complex, is the relationship of Ik` with the god of rain, Chac. Archaeologists have long believed the Maya to have had an influence on the Paquime culture due to their I shaped ballcourt, which mimics the shape of more than 1300 known courts of Mesoamerica. Originally invented by the Olmec in 1400 BCE, the Maya introduced the use of hoops, and the iconic game spread north to the Zapotec, Toltec, Mexica and even Paquime. Given the time frame and influences already arriving from the south, in correlation with the important Maya glyph Ik` and the importance of Chac, it´s understandable how some archaeologists have concluded the T-shaped door originated in the south.

What complicates this theory is the fact that archaeological research in Oasisamerica have determined the first T-shaped doors originated in Chaco Canyon, then spread through the southwest, arriving in Paquime some three hundred years later. If the T-shaped door truly originated with the Maya of southern Mesoamerica, that would mean the Maya had substantial influence on the people of Chaco Canyon, long before Paquime was built.

Granary Pot and T-Shaped Doors

Cueva de la Olla, Chihuahua Mexico

Photo Source Unknown

American Archaeologist Dr. Steve Lekson has studied the cultures of the Southwest and Paquime extensively, and believes firmly that these doorways were an invention from Chaco Canyon. He details the door variations, placement and numbers between various sites, indicating their use actually continued to increase through time. The first houses constructed in Chaco Canyon did not have T-shaped doors, and were thought to be windows, until evidence unveiled remnants of staircases leading up to them. It was around 1000 CE that T-shaped doors were constructed in Chaco Canyon, with all designated for exterior walls on the main plazas. There was also a variation on size with many doors being small and a handful being what archaeologists call "Mega T" doors Their use? Nobody knows.

These doors surface in the construction of other sites in the Southwest including the Aztec Great house and Mesa Verde around 1100 CE. Again, their numbers were limited and used on the exterior walls of main houses on plazas.When these doors were used as an architectural feature of Paquime, they were constructed into the exterior and interior walls. Also unusual from her northern counterparts is the fact that Paquime has approximately 600 doors in total, with 300 of them being T-shaped. Of those 300, 20 are Mega T`s. The symbol has also been found carved into the handle of an ancient polychrome mug-handle from Paquime, giving rise to more questions about the importance of this symbol.

Mega-T Shaped Door

Paquime, Chihuahua Mexico

Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason December 2018

Among the many theories Dr. Lekson has uncovered over the years, few make a lot of sense. One was that the doors were wider at the top to allow easy passage for traders with a "burden basket." Since the other openings were just as wide as the widest part of these specially shaped doors, this theory was easy to dismiss Dr. Lekson was also told a story from a Hopi native that the T-shaped doors were wider at the top to allow easy access for royalty wearing feather headdresses. While this theory is as easy to dismiss as the first, there are cogent arguments for its validity given the placement of these doors on the exterior walls of specific buildings. Perhaps their function was symbolic as an entrance into a holy space, in which case only royalty would enter. Were that the case, the headdress theory could be a valid one.

The fact that this symbol shows up on the handle of a polychrome mug from Paquime serves to prove this symbol was more than functional. While a person cannot step through the tiny key-shaped hole on the handle of that mug, there´s no reason why it couldn´t still represent a deity, a holy space, or something religious.

Regardless of whether the T-shaped symbol originated with the Maya or in cultural groups of Chaco Canyon, it seems clear the symbol was far more than just functional. Wouldn´t it be wonderful to be witness to the ancient world, to understand their culture fully, and to see their cities as they were in their prime...

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