A Kiva is a special purpose building used by the Puebloan people of the American Southwest and Mexico for spiritual ceremonies, political meetings, and social gatherings. The word "kiva" means a large circular room that is underground. Kivas can also be rectangular and above ground. They are particularly notable for the colorful mural paintings decorating the walls. Kivas were used by the Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. The kachina belief system appears to have emerged in the Southwest around A.D. 1250, while kiva-like structures occurred much earlier. This suggests that the room's older functions may have been changed or adapted to suit the new religious practice.