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Whether plain or adorned, kiva ladders are a great way to bring the flavor of the
Southwest into your home. Kiva Ladders can be home made or purchased. There are
several fine internet purveyors who sell kiva ladders, and one of the most affordable
is Grand River Supply
near Albuquerque New Mexico.
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Kiva ladders are uniquely Southwestern and relate back to the Hopi and Anasazi Indians.
The Hopi and Ansazi are creditited with building the elaborate cliff dwellings such
as those at Mesa Verde and prominent throughout the four corners region. Kiva ladders
were used as a means of ingress and egress from the kivas. They also used Kiva Ladders
to navigate the various levels of their pueblo.
Today kiva ladders are commonly used as a decorative item, as shown at left with
the dried wild flowers and chili ristra draped from the top rung. Some collectors
may utilize a kiva ladder as a display for brightly colored Afghans, Comforters
or patch work Quilts. Others simply lean it against a wall either indoors or out
symbolic of the original use in pueblos.
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