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"the state historical
and natural history
society of colorado
AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF DENVER
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN
THE NORTHEASTERN SAN JUAN
BASIN OF COLORADO DURING
THE SUMMER OF 1921
17?^) 3?
DENVER, COLORADO
1922
AECHAEOLOGICAL EESEABCE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE I
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
Chimney Rock
Errata
Plate V.
\Jpper-Look.in§ West from Large Ruin.
Center-View of Upper Part of Mesa,
Showing Mound of Large Ruin and
Chimney Rocl^.
Lower- -Lool^ing South From Large
Ruin.
The State Historical and Natural
History Society of Colorado
=AND.
The University of Denver
^
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE
NORTHEASTERN SAN JUAN BASIN OF
COLORADO DURING THE SUMMER OF 1921
BY JEAN ALLARD JEANCON
EDITED BY FRANK H. H. ROBERTS
DENVER, COLORADO
1922
Acknowledgment
The writer of this paper wishes to express his thanks to all of
those who have helped to make the ivork of the year a success. It
would, he unfair to meAition some names without mentioning all, as
the smallest contrihutor was just as important as the largest. With-
out the sincere spirit of co-operation, expressed hy those who helped,
it would have been impossible to have accomplished the importayit
work that has been done, and those who helped with their efforts, inter-
est and money must feel repaid by having this little volume dedicated
to them, with the knowledge that they have been of great importance
in the development of the prehistoric riches of our beloved Colorado.
J. A. JEANCON,
Curator of Archaeology and Ethnology, State Historical and Natural
History Society of Colorado, State Museum, Denver, Colorado.
Preface
While the existence of prehistoric ruins in the northeastern San Juan hasin
has been known of for a long time it was not thought of enough importance to
make an extended survey of them and it remained for the State Historical and
Natural History Society of Colorado to make the first serioiis effort to determine
the exteyit and area of the ruins.
The attention of the society was first called to the ruins hy Mr. F. 0. Reed of
the American Railway Express Company, who referred the president of the
society to Mr. J. S. Palmer, of Farmington, New Mexico, as one who was familiar
with the situation. A certain amount of correspondence followed and matters
■were also taken up with Mr. W. Zahriskie of Pagosa Junction, who referred the
society to Mr. W. E. Colton of Pagosa Springs. From Mr. Colton sherds, photo-
graphs and other material was obtained and from the showing made it was
thought advisable for the Curator of Archaeology and Ethnology to make a pre-
liminary visit to Pagosa Springs and vicinity to ascertain the extent and char-
acter of the ruins. This visit ivas made in April. The result proved that there
were many ruins in the neighborhood and a summer's expedition was at once
planned. A permit to excavate and examine ruins in Archuleta County was ap-
plied for and through the interest and influence of United States Senator L. C.
Phipps a7id Dr. J. Walter Fewkes, chief of the Bureau of American Ethnology,
the permit was speedily granted by the Department of Agriculture.
Active solicitation for funds to carry on the summer's work was begun at
once, and through the interest of Mrs. Jarvis (Clarice) Richards, Mrs. Ida Kruse
McFarlane, Mr. Paul T. Mayo Dr. E. B. Renaud and others, an agreement was
made whereby certain funds were secured to pursue the work as a joint expedition
of the State Historical and Natural History Society and the University of Denver.
A two-ton truck was loaned the expedition by the State Highway Department of
Colorado for transportation purposes and on June the 11th the expedition left
Denver for the field. A permanent camp was made at the foot of the Chimney
Rock mesa, 22 miles west of Pagosa Springs, and after reopening a mile of an
abandoned logging road to accommodate automobiles and building a foot trail of
about a mile in length to the top of the mesa, a site was selected and active work
begun on the excavations.
The personnel of the party ivas as follows: J. A. Jeancon, Director; Mr.
Frank H. H. Roberts, Mr. George Allan, Mr. Theodore Concevitch, Mr. C. Earl
Mitton, Mr. Leland Anderson. The five last named are students of th£> Univer-
sity of Denver and proved, by their efforts and interest, of invaluable service to
the expedition. Mr. J. S. Palmer, of Farmington, New Mexico, Mr. Floyd Por-
ter, Philip Dasheno, a Tewa Indian, and R. R. Gallegos of Piedra, Colorado.
During the last few weeks in camp we were joined by Dr. E B. Renaud, pro-
fessor of Archaelogy and Ethnology and head of the Romance Language depart-
ment of the University of Denver, who by his interest and ability was an inspira-
tion to the vjorkers.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgment
Preface Page
Table of Contents 1
List of Illustrations.. 2 and 3
General Description of the Country , 4
Chronology of the Ruins of the Pagosa-Piedra Region 5
The Ruins of the Chimney Rock Region 6
Pargin Ranch Pit-Houses - 7
Harlan Ranch : 9
Ruins on Top of the Chimney Rock Mesa : 11
Location 1, Room A 12
Location 1, Room B - 12
Paving Outside Rooms A and B - 13
Causeway to the Upper Part of the Mesa 13
The Guardhouse 13
The Upper Mesa and the Large Pueblo 14
Construction of the Large Pueblo 15
Large Kiva 17
Summary 20
Minor Antiquities 20
Stone 20
Bone - 21
Pottery ■- -. 21
Chronology 21
Pastes 22
Design 22
Firing - 23
Pit-House AVares 23
Coiled Ware — 24
Black on White 24
Red Ware 25
Medicine Bowl and Contents.... 26
Pottery Object 27
Bear Fetish 27
Shells : 27
Pendants 28
Part of a Bear Fetish 28
Small Fetish Stones 28
Gambling Die 28
Obsidian Inlay 29
Mortuary Customs 29
Summary 30
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Chimney Rock Plate I.
Map of Chimney Rock Ruins Plate II.
Map of Colorado Ruins Plate III.
Map of the Upper Piedra and Chimney Rock Region Plate III.
View of the Upper Piedra Valley Plate IV.
Looking East from the Large Ruin J^late IV.
Looking South from the Large Ruin Plate V.
Looking West from the Large Ruin Plate V.
View of the Upper Part of the Mesa Plate V.
Chimney Rock and Companion Plate VL
Looking Across the Top of the Mesa Plate VI.
The Causeway from Below Plate VI.
The Causeway from Above Plate VI.
Map of the Pithouse on the Harlan Ranch Plate VI.
Dressed Stone Wall with Old Wall back of it Plate VII.
Pithouse Before Excavation Plate VII.
Pithouse After Excavation Plate VII.
The Tower Before Excavation Plate VII.
The Fireplace in the Tower Plate VII.
Map of Location 1 Plate VIIL
Small House Mounds on the Top of the Mesa Plate IX.
Location 1 Before Excavation Plate IX.
Location 1, Room A, After Excavation Plate IX.
Small House Mound Plate IX.
Metate and Mano in Bin Plate IX.
West End of Guardhouse Before Excavation .Plate X.
View of Guardhouse from Large Ruin Plate X.
West End of Guardhouse After Excavation Plate X.
Katchina-Ki in the Guardhouse Plate X.
Interior of the Guardhouse Plate X.
Map of the Guardhouse Plate XI.
Large Mound Before Excavation Plate XI.
Large Mound Partly Excavated Plate XI.
S. E. Corner of the Large Ruin Plate XI.
S. W. Corner of the Large Rtiin Plate XL
Map of the Large Ruin Plate XII.
Ground Plan of the Kiva Plate XIII.
Beam Rest on Top of the Banquette Plate XIII.
Looking Across the Big Kiva Plate XIII.
Outside Wall of the Big Kiva Plate XIII.
Fireplace in the Big Kiva ...Plate XJII
Plan of the Roof of the Big Kiva Plate XIII.
Profile of the Double Ventilator Plate XIV.
Looking Into the Big Kiva Plate XIV.
Double Ventilator .Plate XIV.
View of the Ventilator from the Floor Plate XIV.
Upper Passage of the Double Ventilator Plate XIV.
Plaster on the Walls of the Big Kiva Plate XV.
Fireplace in the Upper Floor of the Big Kiva Plate XV.
Rectangular Rooms Partly Excavated.. Plate XV.
Looking Across Room 10 Plate XV.
Rectangular Rooms Plate XV.
Niche in the Wall of a Rectangular Room Plate XV.
Corner in a Rectangular Room Plate XVI.
Caprock Used as a Floor Plate XVI.
Rooms at the Edge of the Cliff Plate XVI.
Interior of a Rectangular Room Plate XVI,
Doorway Between Rooms 11 and 12 Plate XVI.
Map of Room 10 Plate XVIL
Ceiling Construction, Room 10 Plate XVII.
Manner of Laying Roof Beams of Room 12 Plate XVII.
Manner of Laying Roof Beams of Rooms 10 and 11 Plate XVIII.
Geological Specimens Plate XVITI.
Cross Section of Partition Wall in Room 10 Plate XVIIL
Bone Implements Plate XIX.
Pottery Object Plate XIX.
Basket Weave ..- Plate XIX.
Miscellaneous Objects Plate XX.
Pit-House Pottery Plate XXL
Designs Taken from Black on White Pottery Plate XXII.
Medicine Outfit with Bowl in Which They Were Found Plate XXIII.
Design on Black on White Pottery Plate XXIIL
Water Jar and Design Plate XXIV.
Large Jar, Black on White Ware Plate XXIV.
Bear Fetish Made of Pottery Plate XXV.
Black on White Jar Plate XXV.
Black on White Pitcher Plate XXV.
AMCHAEOLOGICAL RESEAUCH OF SOUTHWESTEun COLOBADO
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY
The country in the northeastern part of the San Juan basin is very mountainous
and presents on every side a picture of towering peaks and beautiful, well-watered
valleys The northern entrance, at present, is over the Wolf Creek Pass which, in part,
follows an old Ute trail and may even have been used by the prehistoric people for
passing over into the San Luis valley. There is reason to suppose that the ancient
people actually did go over into the San Luis valley as turquoise found in the ruins of
the Pagosa-Piedra region Is of the same character and color as that found north of
La Jara, about 15 miles south of Alamosa. There has been no investigation of the
north side of the range to determine whether there are ruins on that side but repeated
rumors seem to indicate that there are some. If it can be proven that prehistoric ruins
really exist on the north slope of the range, then the supposition that Wolf Creek Pass
was used by the early Indians is correct.
The wonderful hot springs, at what is now called the town of Pagosa Springs, with
their marvelous curative powers, could not help but be a point of interest to the pre-
historic people, as it has been to the Utes and Apaches who came at a later period.
The country to the east, north, and northwest presents a wonderful vista of high
peaks rising in majestic grandeur; at the foot of these, and running in a general south-
erly direction, are many valleys of surpassing beauty. The sides of the mountains,
below timberline, are covered with great groves of quaking aspen and below these are
dense masses of pine and spruce. Lower down one finds pinon and juniper. On the
lowest reaches of the mountains and extending out into the valleys are large areas
thickly overgrown with scrub oak and scattered all through the lower country there is
an abundance of sage and long grasses. Wild flowers abound in great numbers and
afford a magnificent opportunity to the botanist for study; the Mariposa lily, Indian
pink or painter's brush, several varieties of daisies and many others too numerous to
mention are to be found everywhere.
Many large areas where formerly there were great stands of timber, have been cut
over and the timber removed leaving unsightly bare spots that somewhat mar the
beauty of the scenery.
The geology of the country is very interesting: huge slanting dykes, rugged mesa
walls, pebbly river and creek beds, some containing water at all times, others only after
a rain; shale beds, fossils and many other things along the same lines afford a field of
study for the geologist that is most interesting. Tlie shallowness of the valleys and
river beds show that the erosion is comparatively modern, geologically speaking.
Game abounds in the country: bear, deer, mountain lion, rabbits and many other
animals, as well as game birds of different kinds, are to be found in fairly large num-
bers. The streams are well stocked with trout, suckers and a few white fish.
As the purpose of this paper is to consider principally the Chimney Rock mesa and
its immediate vicinity a more detailed description of this part of the country Is there-
fore desirable. The mesa proper rises about 1200 feet above the surrounding country
and runs, roughly, northeast and southwest. At the northeastern end of the mesa is a
sort of causeway running out several hundred feet and connecting the mesa with the
elevation upon which stands the Chimney Rock and its companion rock which is with-
out a name. (Plate VI.) Both of these are of the native sandrock and contain
many interesting fossils. At the west end of the companion rock is a fossil palm leaf
impression that measures many feet in height; along the south side of the same rock
is a fern impression nearly 22 feet in length. These two were the largest fossils seen
during the summer. Innumerable fossil shells, of many different kinds, are to be found
all over the adjacent country, and some which were found in the ruins were undoubtedly
used as fetishes. The use of fossils and minerals as fetishes has been too well estab-
lished to be questioned.
The top of the mesa proper was probably a grass covered area at the time of the
building of the houses as there is very little humus in evidence. The trees which now
grow on the top came at a later period. (Plate VI.) There are no large pine or
spruce trees on the top, but they grow very close to the rim-rock on the sloping sides
PLATE II
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCn OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO
Map by C. E. Mitton
AECHAEOLOGICAL BESEABCH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLORADO. 5
and within a few feet of the top. The cap-rock of the mesa is the same sandstone as
abounds all over this section of the country, and is only covered with a thin deposit of
soil that would not support large trees. At no place, where we investigated, was the
soil covering more than two feet in depth and in most places it was much less than
that. There are a great many pinon trees, some of them two feet in diameter, standing
in the deeper soil. These do not necessarily denote a remote antiquity as a compara-
tively short number of years would produce a pinon tree of that size, certainly not tc
exceed 200 years. Few of these trees are over the ruins proper and even though they
were, could not be much of an index as to the age of the building as it is not known
how long it took to form the mound after the abandonment of the house and what
length of time elapsed between that and the germination of the seed from which the
tree was produced. The humus beneath all of these trees is very shallow. In many
places the cap-rock is completely exposed and there is no vegetable growth at all in
these spots.
The sides of the mesa are very sharp and rugged and covered, where the vegetation
is not heavy, with masses of broken cap-rock and shale. The trees are mostly pine,
spruce and pinon, with now and then a juniper or cedar. Much of the area is covered
with scrub oak and an abundance of long grasses.
The erosion of the cap-rock and especially of the Chimney Rock and its companion
has in recent years (30 to 50) been very extensive if the stories of the older settlers
are to be believed. According to Mr. Ed. Pargin, a portion of the cap-rock situated
between the two rocks and the mesa proper was still in place about 30 years ago, and
has completely vanished since that time. Another story is that since that time (we
were not able to get a definite date) a large mass of the Chimney Rock itself broke off
and rolled down on the north side of the mesa near its foot where it now lies. In fact
the rock in many places appears to be just ready to fall. The erosion seems to be
progressing very rapidly.
One curious feature observed was that torrential rains fall on all sides of the mesa
and but very little rain falls upon the mesa proper. Many times the heavy downpour
extended to the very edge of the rim-rock and in places even fell upon the lower (south)
reaches of the mesa but where the big ruin is situated no severe rains occurred all
simimer. Not over one hour, all told, was lost on account of rain.
Chronology of the Ruins of the Pagosa-Piedra Region
No place in southwestern Colorado provides the student with such a variety and
abundance of ruins as is found in the region which has been, temporarily, named the
Pagosa-Piedra region. Here are found so many different types of houses and construc-
tions that at first one is dismayed at the immensity of the number of questions sug-
gested by the surface indications alone, not to mention what the results of excavation
might bring forth. Ruins occur on the benches just above the river bed and on the
successive benches above, until, in some places, we find them on the mesa tops many
hundreds of feet above the river level. Every spur or tongue of land has its group,
large or small, and in many cases the ruins are situated so far from water that one is
forced to stop and wonder where they obtained it.
The whole summer's work was more or less in the nature of an exploration and
this report, therefore, can only be descriptive without arriving at any very definite con-
clusions. So as to have a basis upon which to work the writer has classified the ruins
visited and excavated in the following tentative chronological order.
First. Pit-houses: these are houses which were semi-subterranean with the plaster-
ing applied to the native earth and with a double slant roof. There are literally thou-
sands of this type scattered over Archuleta County.
Second. Pit-houses with cobblestone walls. While these are not in a class by them-
selves they plainly indicate a step in the sequence of house building.
Third. Pit-houses with cobblestone walls and the paving of floors with slabs and
cobbles. The first use of horizontal slabs laid above the cobblestone walls. Here is
probably where the first type of flat roof occurred.
Fourth. Single rooms all above the ground, without any excavation, using a few
cobbles for the foundation and horizontally laid slabs of stone above these for the
remainder of the walls.
AKCnAEOT.OGlCAL FESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOEADO
Fifth. Small groups of from three to six or eight rooms huilt in a similar manner
to those of group four.
Sixth. The large pueblo or concentration of several houses of the type of group
five.
In the Pagosa-Piedra region we have these six steps clearly defined and the dif-
ferences are so plain that it affords at least a basis upon vi^hich to work. Later
developments may change a few things but it does not appear probable that any radical
change in the sequence will occur. The differences in the artifacts found in the houses,
the differences in the construction of walls, floors and roofs, are all so well pronounced
that they seem to give us definite periods. As we ascend the scale of construction
the pottery changes from the crudest and earliest types to the more sophisticated and
elaborate types and while the latest potters of this region had attained some degree
of skill in decoration and form, the pottery is not as well and highly developed as that
of the Mesa Verde and the Montezuma valley. The walls of the buildings in the last
step suggest a closer relation to the people of Aztec and the Chaco than to the Mesa
Verde.
That the whole culture is a purely local development is borne out by the suc-
cessive steps already shown. With perhaps the exception of the first type of pit-
house, which is familiar in many other parts of the southwest, there is no question
but that the other developments are local.
That there was contact with their neighbors to the west is more than probable
as extensive ruin sites abound from this region to the Montezuma valley and beyond,
without a serious break in the line, and from this contact there may have been outside
influences that assisted in the development of architecture and ceramics. There is
no reason to suppose that the people of this region were completely isolated from their
neighbors and if they were anything like the modern Pueblo in character, there must
have been some visiting between them and their near neighbors.
Counting all of the ruins of all periods there are literally thousands of ruin sites
in Archuleta County which have not been examined. In the region around the Chimney
Rock there are so many sites that it was impossible to visit more than a small part
of them during the time that we spent there. From every side came information of
more and more places where there were ruins. The group on the Harlan ranch
covers over four acres of ground on one spur above the river, and there are many
more of these groups on the adjoining spurs.
The Ruins of the Chimney Rock Region
In considering the ruins of the Chimney Rock region it is amazing to find so many
types represented. A complete sequence from the earliest pre-pueblo houses to the
first type of true pueblo can readily be followed in these ruins. In the valleys, espe-
cially along the Piedra river, are exceptionally fine examples of pit-houses.
The pit-houses, as the name indicates, are sub or semi-subterranean houses. Un-
fortunately the ones we excavated had no remains of roof material left, excepting the
baked or burned adobe, to assist in determining the type of roof which these build-
ings had. In the excavations made on Mesa Verde by Mr. Ralph Linton during the
summer of 1919, there was enough of the roof material left to give an idea of its con-
struction. As Mr. Linton's notes are not available at this time, the writer cannot
give more than a few remarks made to him at the time that Mr. Linton was finishing
up his work on the pit-houses.
Mr. Linton said, in substance, that the roof of the building was composed of poles
set into the side walls in a slanting manner and meeting at the top, thus making
what we ordinarily call a double slant roof. The poles were covered with brush and
adobe to make it tight.
In a report on excavations on the south side of the Mancos river, south of the
Mesa Verde, made by Mr. Earl Morris he speaks of pit-houses and with reference to
the roofs says: "It is probable that the roof consisted of beams, twigs, and bark
covered with clay."^
iMorris. Antiquities of Southwestern Colorado. 33rd Annual, Bureau of American Ethnol-
ogy. Page is7.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL BESEAECH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLORADO
PLATE III
Iflap o}- thi! ubberTieircL.
anA CljitTTiicii Tfoctf ift'oiori.
Tit-tiovie area-:,,
O Tower CLmai'
S fu«.\)lo area i .
7 ATiCTIAEOLOdlCAL BESKAECH OF SOUTH WESTERN COLORADO.
In the pit-houses of the Piedra valley (Chimney Rock region) there were no slab
cists, and not a single case was observed of slabs being used to form walls or even
portions of walls by being placed upright and on edge. The only use to which slabs
were put was for the paving of floors.
Pargin Ranch Pit-Houses
At a point about 500 feet from a bend in the main road to Durango, where the
road turns north and follows the Piedra river on the second bench above the river
bottom, is an almost unbroken line of pit-houses extending for a distance of more
than a mile!' (Plate III
In some places, as at a point one-half mile northeast of the Pargin ranch house,
the ruins are grouped in quite large numbers; in other places they are scattered along
the line. One can almost always indentify a ruin site along the Piedra from a dis-
tance, as they are all overgrown with sage and stand out In bold relief against the
other vegetation.
The surface indications of the pit-houses are generally masses of burned adobe,
often of a vitrified appearance, scattered over the ground. Occasionally one finds a
low mound with potsherds scattered over it, but this is not frequent. Again there are
circular depressions in the ground which at first seem to have been kivas, these
depressions are similar to those observed by the writer at Taos, New Mexico, and
also by Dr. Fewkes in the Mimbres valley of southern New Mexico and by other
investigators in different parts of the southwest.
In an article published by Mr. C. L. Webster he describes the circular depressions
in the Mimbres valley as follows: "These structures are generally circular . . .
they vary considerably in size.""
A fuller description of these same depressions is given by Dr. Fewkes: "Mr.
Webster discovered on a rocky ridge near Swarts ruin, somewhat higher on the Mim-
bres than Brockman's Mill, seven similar earthern pits of much interest, which re-
minded the author of subterranean or half-sunken dwellings. They are saucer-shaped
or linear depressions, averaging about two feet in depth; when circular they are from
five to 15 feet in diameter, the linear form in one instance being 50 feet long. Some
of these have elevated margins, others with scarcely any marginal ridge.
"There are similar saucer-shaped depressions near Brockman's Mills and elsewhere
in the Mimbres, almost indentical with the 'pitdwellings' found by Dr. Hough near
Los Lentes. These saucer-like depressions, often supposed to have been the pits from
which the adobe was dug, were also places of burial, the dead presumably interred
under or on the fioors; the original excavation being a dwelling which was afterwards
usedi as a burial for the dead."^
In the Piedra Valley ruins there are practically no elevated margins, and in some
instances the depression is deeper than in the Mimbres. The dimensions of the circles
are also much larger, some of them being more than 20 feet across. As far as the
writer's observations are concerned no oval pits were found. The function of the
circular pit, in this region, was not established as none of them was excavated owing
to the lack of time.
The site chosen for excavation was on the second bench above the river about
one-half mile northeast of the Pargin ranch house. Here an area of possibly one
and one-half acres was covered with sage brush. The ground, at the base of the
brush, was covered with lumps of burned adobe such as are always found over the
pit-houses. These lumps bore the imprint of the roof beams and while they did not
give the angle of the roof they plainly indicated that poles, slabs of cedar, and brush
had been used in the construction. After excavation the depth of the pits ranged
from one foot to about three feet at the most. It was impossible, even with the great-
iThe bend in the road here referred to is just 23 miles west of Pagosa Springs and is the
only place where the main highway runs parallel with the Piedra river. The Pargin ranch house
is at the bend of the road.
=C. L. Webster. Archaeological and Ethnological researches in Southwestern New Mexico.
The Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 3, No. 4.
3Dr. J. Walter Fewkes. Archaeology of the Mimbres Valley. Smithsonian Miscellaneous
Collections. Vol. 63, No. 10.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO 8
est care, to establish the walls of the rooms. In places where the remains of cobble-
stone walls and fragments of the plastering on the native earth occurred there was
no continuity to these as they occurred in isolated spots only. A small area of paving
with boulders occurred on a raised platform in one corner of a room, this was the
only case of paving that we found on the upper Pargin ranch.
Some excavations had been made in the pit-house previous to our work there
and two whole pieces of pottery were taken out; one was a bowl of ordinary form
and the other a pitcher somewhat mis-shapen. Both were undecorated. During our
excavations there we found only shattered pottery and as these have not been set
up yet the form is not definitely known. From the appearance of the sherds they
are water bottles or jars.
Stone artifacts consisted of several crude cutting edges and a large, fairly well
made, stone maul. None of the stone things found in the pit-houses presents any-
thing unusual or new.
On the first and second benches above the Piedra river in the lower Pargin
ranch are many ruins. (The lower Pargin ranch is located south of the bend in the
road referred to above.) There is an almost solid line of ruins extending for
several miles down (south) the Piedra on both sides of the river. In the limited time
at our disposal it was impossible to examine all of these. There are indications of
extensive burials and house remains all along the first and second benches. A whole
day spent in excavating in one of these burial mounds yielded only three crumbling
skeletons, there being no specimens.
A tower on the second bench above the river was excavated and proved interest-
ing from an architectural standpoint (Plate VII.) Its diameter was roughly 15
feet and it had well laid up cobblestone walls. The whole building was built
above ground and was probably of the first type of house but without excavation.
From the amount of debris In and around the tower it would seem that it was not
less than 10 feet in height and possibly more than that. A foundation of adobe was
first laid on the ground along the outline of the intended building and the cobblestone
wall built on this Owing to the contour of the cobbles, which presented almost no
extensive flat surfaces, and that all of them are more or less smoothed off from
friction and rolling in river bottoms, it was necessary to use large quantities of adobe
as mortar, therefore the walls are unusually thick, some of them being almost three
feet across.
An interesting feature of the ruin is the fireplace (Plate VII.). This is
a simple contrivance consisting of a circular, plastered bottom with a slanting wall
rising from it to a height of three feet and probably terminating in a smoke hole;
the latter is gone now, but some such vent would have to have been used to dispose
of the smoke as there was no attempt at a chimney. A few stones were placed above
the floor of the fireplace to start the smoke in the right direction but as far as could
be ascertained there was no continuation of these to any height. The wall directly
above the firepot was smoke stained.
While this building was circular in form, there were no indications that it had
ever been used as a kiva and from the fact that on the mound and inside of the
walls were found many potsherds and a few crude stone articles, it is fairly safe
to conclude that it was used as a dwelling.
The adobe roofing appears to have been laid on in lighter layers than in some
of the other houses. This may be accounted for by the finding of impressions of
cedar slabs next to the adobe in place of the usual twigs and bast. Some of the
impressions made by the slabs show that the wood, in some cases, was as much as
five to eight inches in width and from a half to a full inch in thickness. Underneath
the slabs were poles. It was not possible to determine the arrangement of these as
no roofs were found in situ and not enough of the pole material was available for
examination as to how it lay.
The pottery associated with the tower is very crude, some coiled ware and some
striated or marked with corncob was found. One piece had oblique grooves running
from the top or the rim to the bottom of the pot. Only one decorated sherd was
found, this was good black on white ware although the lines of the decorations were
very rough and resembled smears more than a design that had been applied with a
brush. One sherd found had a coiled exterior and a white slip covering the interior.
PLATE jr JTWEAEOLOGICAL J^FSEAFCH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLORADO
Plinto by Pr. lO. H. Ki-nauil
Upper Piedra Valley
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
Looking East From Large Ruin
ARCHAEOLOGICAL BESEAECH OF SOVTEWESTERN COLORADO. 9
All of the ware is similar to that found in the more ancient houses of this region
and a more extensive description will be given under the head of pottery.
Running along the western edge of the same bench on which the tower is
located are extensive burials, mostly of adults. We worked there for two days and
were not able to take out a single burial that did not fall to pieces. While there was
no direct evidence of cremation all of the bones were touched with fire and the
deposit in which they lay was full of charcoal and ash. The usual deposit of house
trash did not accompany any of the burials and there were very few sherds such
as usually occur in a dumping ground.
Harlan Ranch
The next tongue reaching towards the river and on the same bench level. Is
covered with ruins. The extent of this area is a good four and one-half acres and
the buildings are very close together. A number of different types of buildings are
represented on the tongue; one especially noticeable group is a large circular de-
pression measuring about 75 feet in diameter, and judging from surface indications
was originally surrounded by rooms. It bears a remarkably similar appearance to a
large dance plaza described by Dr. Walter Hough, he says: "Southeast of Pit No. 2.
108 feet, is a circular concavity 84 feet in diameter and 5 feet deep, . . . begin-
ning at the edge there is a slope of 25 feet to a set-off 16 inches high, apparently
the back of a bench 4 feet wide. The depth here is 31 inches from the surface of
the depo.?it in the pit. From this bench the ground slopes about 12 to 16 feet and
merges into the level floor of the pit. There was thus a circular form for dance
purposes, about 50 feet in diameter, with 196 feet of bench around it for spectators.
This amphitheater pit, approximately 265 feet in circumference and nearly 10 feet
deep, was probably surrounded with a palisade. It will be seen that the earth deposit
in the pit (50 inches) is about that which levels the pit-houses, but the great pit
being 10 feet deep is not filled, and hence it is the only surviving landmark of
the ancient village, . . as no tools for digging were found it appears probable
that the excavation was made with digging sticks and the earth removed in skin
bundles."^
While the pit on the Harlan ranch is not as deep as that described by Dr. Hough,
as far as we could see without excavating, there was everything to suggest that the
depression was used for a purpose similar to that described by Dr. Hough. Indica-
tions of rooms on the outer rim of the circle were plain enough to show that they
once existed there and that they might have taken the place of the stockade in the
Luna district. We did not have the time nor the owner's permission to excavate
the pit and so could only study the surface indications.
About 20 feet north of the circle was a low mound and having obtained permis-
sion to excavate it we did so. Lying roughly in an east and west direction we found
the remains of a house of several rooms (Plate VI.) We were only able to
excavate five rooms and a part of another wall in the limited time at our disposal.
A rather remarkable result was obtained. In place of a pit-house of one or possibly
two rooms we found a small clan house with a curious mixture of walls.
The excavation was started in about the center of the mound where a bit of wall
was indicated (Plate VII.). What appeared to be a well constructed corner
protruded above the ground and we dug on two sides of it. On the south side we at
once got the wall but on the north side the conditions were different. Masses of fallen
rock and adobe seemed at first to indicate that there was no wall there. After several
hours of careful labor, at a point about five feet away from where we started, we
found a wall running from north to south and joining the other wall. Four rooms
were uncovered on the north side of the main wall and one whole room and parts
of two others on the south side (Plate VII.).
The rooms are all very small and irregular, the walls are built, in part of cobble-
stones, and in part of horizontally laid slabs; all of these are laid up in adobe and
sometimes have a foundation of adobe that rises to a height of from 10 to 12 inches
above the ground.
^A Pit House Village in New Mexico. Walter Hough. Proceedings of the U. S. National
Museum. Vol. 55, 1919. Pages 414-415.
PLATE V
tECIIAEOLOaiCAL EKSEAECH OF SOnTTTJrf:STFFN COLOEADO
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
Looking South From Large Ruin
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
Looking West From Large Ruin
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
View of Upper Part of Mesa Showing Mound of Large
Ruin and Chimney Rock
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO 10
In a room containing a burial a most curious bit of wall was encountered. In
front of the regular wall of cobblestones another was built of well dressed stone
which was resting on an adobe foundation of not less than 12 inches in height and
width. The stones were quite large for this part of the country, some of the blocks
being 16 to 18 inches in length by three to five inches in width. They were all well
selected and nearly of a size By mistake the adobe foundation was partly removed
before we were aware that the stone wall rested on it and the whole mass caved in.
The area of the dressed surface measured about three by five feet and had never
been plastered over as far as we could tell. Th old wall in the rear of it however
had been faced with heavy plaster (Plate VII.).
About midway in the uncovered part of the east and west wall, on the south
side, we found a curious bit of construction. On the ground (native earth) was a
wall of adobe five and one-half inches in height, above this was laid horizontally, thin
slabs of stone not over one to two inches in thickness, to a height of 12^/^ inches,
and above this rose the cobblestone wall for the remainder of the height. This
apparent reversal of slabs and cobble was unique as elsewhere we found cobbles
below with the slabs on the top. In practically every case there was a foundation
of adobe, rather low, as though it were only a heavy base to lay the cobbles on,
then rising above this came the cobbles and sometimes the wall was finished off with
several layers of stone slabs laid horizontally on the top of the cobbles. The average
thickness of walls of this type was 11 inches.
On all of the cobble walls were the remains of heavy layers of plastering; in
many places this was several inches in thickness, well burned, but without strati-
fication to show the number of times that new coats of wash had been applied.
Judging from the appearance of the plaster, on the side applied to the cobbles, it was
applied in thick masses by the handful and afterwards smoothed on the outside
surface and a wash applied to the smooth surface. The separate handsful were
plainly indicated and follow out the general manner of building with adobe which
was used to more or less extent all over the southwest. This manner of using and
applying the adobe by the handful was first observed by Castaneda and is spoken
of by him in his report on the Coronado Expedition. The writer also found the same
treatment of walls on the Chama River, New Mexico, during the summer of 1919.
All of the rooms in this group are unusually small as will be seen from the
ground plan. There were several things that suggested that the buildings might have
been two stories high, but not enough conclusive material was found to have this as a
positive statement The whole condition of the ruin was such as to make it impossible
to give any exact statement as to its original height. Situated as it is on the top of,
and nearly at the edge, of the bench sloping gently towards the lower ground, there has
been a great deal of washing away and recovering up from the higher ground above it.
This washing and refilling has confused the upper portions of the mound and left only
a few feet of the lower walls and floors from whichc to gain any idea of the group as it
originally was. As far as could be determined, from our excavation, there were no
openings on the ground floor leading out into the open. All of the walls were continu-
ous and without openings of any kind; furthermore, in only one place did we find any-
thing that looked like a doorway leading from one room to another in the interior of the
building. The absence of other passageways from room to room might suggest that all
of them were entered from the roof and had no communication with each other except-
ing in that manner.
The doorway uncovered was between the two rooms on the south side of the
main wall. Between these two rooms was a very narrow, solid adobe wall about
six or seven inches in width with a raised lintel of the doorway about 10 inches
above the floor. Between the doorway and the central wall (on the east side) were
two holes about three or four inches in diameter, one of which still held the remains
of a post, and from the position of the holes they suggested that a ladder had once
rested in them. On the west side of the wall were stored a lot of small pots and
vessels of clay, more or less mingling with a large mass of charred corn.
On the south side of the central wall we found what appeared to be two floor
levels. Both of these were paved with thin slabs of sandstone flagging with plaster
in the spaces between the stones. This same system of paving with thin slabs pre-
vailed all through the group and was very interesting. The two floor levels, as we
found them, only covered a small area, not over four by six or seven feet, and were
PLATE If
ARCII A FA) LOGICAL BESKAIWU OF SOUTHHESTFRN COLOJRADO
Looking Across the Top of the Mesa and
Down the Piedra Valley
Chimney Rock and Companion
Photo by Dr. E. B. Renaud
Causeway From Above
Causeway From Below
T.tdoKse on Harlan
ranch 3i"J l^ttch above
/3' ?"
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLORADO. 11
not definite enough to show whether they were originally from superimposed floors
or whether their position was the result of accidently falling one on the top of ..the
other. As will be seen later on in this report all of the buildings on the mesa top
were built on the cap-rock, and if the small house now under consideration came
at a later period the slab type of floor may have been suggested by the floors of the
buildings on the higher ground. We have no way at present to place the exact
period of the building of this house and the above surmise may be entirely wrong
and the paving a purely local development.
The fireplace is not an unusual one and does not present any new features.
The room in which it occurs is curious in form, having one wall straight and the rest
of the walls curving so as to form the half of an oval.
The pottery, of which quite a large amount was found in this house, will be
described under the proper heading.
From some angles this house seems to be of a later period than the houses
on the mesa top and again there are many arguments for placing it in the fourth step
of the culture, the main point against this latter is the number of rooms. In almost
every other way it conforms to the fourth step, possibly further research will show
a temporary re-occupation and enlargement of a building of that period.
Ruins On the Top of the Chimney Rock Mesa
As has been stated before, the top of the Chimney Rock mesa was in all yrob-
ability grass covered at the time that the ruins were occupied. The mesa top slopes
from northeast to southwest and there is considerable of a drainage that would
carry off a lot of eroded material as such occurred. In about the center of the mesa
there is a decided dip which runs down, for the distance of almost a mile, and
abruptly stops as the end of the mesa is reached. (Plate II.) This is about one-half
mile in width at the north end and terminates in a rather deep canon. Its whole
length is now more or less covered with a heavy growth of scrub oak and grass.
At many places, and especially at the head of the depression, are the remains of the
walls that were used for storing the water in reservoirs. Most of the small side
canons or tributaries of the main drain are also walled and a large supply of water
could have been obtained by the storage of melted snow and the rainfalls of summer.
In addition to this water supply there are indications that there was a spring in
about the central part of the eastern edge of the mesa. All through the summer
there was considerable seepage at this spot and below the wet spot, in the draw,
are the remains of a wall foi-ming a basin which would store enough water for quite
a large village. It is the intention, should further research be made on the mesa
next year, to attempt to develop this seep and find out if there really is a spring
there.
The damming of draws and even more extensive drainage areas is not uncommon
in the southwest. In 1920 the writer found, in more than one canon on Mesa Verde,
many instances of a similar nature. The prehistoric builders seemed to have appre-
ciated the fact that a series of dams would save more water than one would, and so
built a consecutive line of them, one below the other, so as to catch the overflow
from the basins above. If all of the basins on the Chimney Rock mesa held only a
small amount of water the inhabitants would have had an abundance for their use
and would not have needed to descend to the creeks and water courses in the low
lands below for their supply. The water-works, if they may so be called, were more
extensive and compact than any system of its kind seen before by the writer. All
of the ruins, with the exception of the large pueblo at the highest point of the mesa,
are in comparatively close touch to the water supply.
As will be seen, from a study of the map, there are 109 buildings on the mesa
top. (Plate IX.) The limited time at our disposal allowed us to do very little work on
any but the large pueblo as we concentrated almost all of our efforts upon it. Most of
the buildings are circular depressions with wall remains still standing from two or three
feet to six or seven feet in height. Usually they are single rooms, although in a few
places there can be no doubt that several of them were associated, and excavation will
probably reveal that they were more or less connected by walls and possibly rectangular
rooms. The circles vary a great deal in diameter, some of them being as small as 10 feet
and some as large as 43 feet. As can be seen from the map the lines of ruins or house
PLATE riJ AUCTTAEOLOGICAL EESEAJtCn OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO
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Tower Before Excavation
Fireplace in the Tower
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EESEAECH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLOBADO 12
remains are almost all near the edge of the mesa and run in an almost unbroken line
along the eastern, northern and western sides. To the south the mesa is broken up into
many large and small canons and with the exception of a few tongues of high ground
would not afford them the situation for building that the other parts do, in addition
to this they would not have had the extensive outlook over the surrounding country
which was probably a thing to be desired, as they could then see the approach of
any strangers. In studying the distribution of the ruins on the mesa top a question
is naturally suggested that we cannot overlook, and that we cannot even guess at
the solution of at the present time, this is: Were all of the buildings occupied at
the same time? If so, why were there so many detached ones and who lived in the
large pueblo? We can only make a tentative gues.s until more excavation and study
has been made. From present indications it would seem that the large pueblo was
the last stand on the mesa. Starting from the point at the head of the trail, where
two rooms were excavated, there is a pretty compact group of circular and partly
rectangular houses. It would seem from their position that they acted somewhat
as a fortification to the narrow neck of land that must be crossed before one comes
to the incline leading to the level where the big ruin is located. The trail to the
main ruin was well guarded by these buildings which supplemented other safeguards
farther along. The defensive idea will be dealt with at some length in this report,
as there are so many things to indicate that this thought was undoubtedly very
prominent in the minds of the people who built on the mesa top, especially the big
pueblo.
LOCATION 1, ROOM A.
The first room excavated (Room 1-A) is neither rectangular or circular. The
original walls were probably rectangular and the circular corners built in afterwards.
(Plat VIII.) As can be seen from the plan the circle is not true and is more oval than
otherwise. That this was a living room is indicated by the finding of a mealing pit
still containing the metate and mano (Plate IX.), and the storage bin in the floor. The
bin contained a few fragments of pottery, some charred corn and irregularly shaped
stones which may have fallen from the wall. By the side of the bin were the remains
of a fireplace which was in such bad shape that its outlines could not be determined.
The walls of this room (Plate IX.) are not well laid and while they resemble the ones
in the large ruin, cannot be compared with them. In one corner, as will be seen from
the plan, was a raised platfoi-m, paved irregularly with thin sheets of sandstone, which
probably performed the ffunction of a seat as well as a shelf to place things on. This
was one foot and five inches above the floor level.
I In about the center of the room were the remains of a large fireplace, in fact
two fireplaces built one above the other, which rested on the floor proper. Both of
them contained ashes The upper one did not follow the form of the lower one.
The floor of the cap-rock was covered with a wash of adobe about an inch in
depth which was used to smooth out the irregularities of the rocks. All through the
ruins excavated we found the same thing. The buildings were all built on the cap-
rock which was used for the floor with a shallow adobe covering to give it smoothness.
From the few remains found indications are that the roof was built of poles,
slabs or branches, and adobe, over all of which were slabs of stone, irregular as to
length, width and thickness. It would appear from the evidences found that the
layer of slabs was thicker in the center of the roof than on the sides, making a sort
of mound. There was not enough left of the poles to show how they were arranged.
There were no remains of upright poles to show whether they were used or not.
LOCATION 1, ROOM B
This room is located 12 feet northeast from Room A. The circular form of this
room is much better than that of Room A. The walls are in a little better shape and
seem to have been put up with a little more care. About one-fourth of the circle on
the north side had been excavated in the cap-rock for placing the walls and to mak«»
a more level floor. Several very primitive mortars and paint grinders were rouna
in the room. These are all of the crudest types, not much more than stones with
natural depressions in them which were utilized for grinding purposes. In addition
to these were found a good sized axe-head, a metate, a bone awl and some potsherds.
A most unusual object made of clay and of such a character that its use has not
PLATE Vin
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ATXnAEOLOGlCAL HESEAECH OF SOVTHWESTEBN COLORADO. 13
been established will be described under the proper head. This room was also used
as a living room and as far as could be determined from the excavation, had no
ceremonial use. Both A and B were one storied and entrance to both was through
the roof.
PAVING OUTSIDE OF THE ROOMS A AND B
A most curious paving effect was found on the north side of rooms A and B.
Here it appears that the cap-rock had been covered with a layer of thin slabs whose
interstices were tilled with a very hard plaster. The paving was very plainly indi-
cated and could not be confused with the ordinary cap-rock. At the northwest corner
(outside) of Room A was a small bit of wall projecting through to the north of the
building and on top of this was a sort of runnel composed of a slab of sandstone
with a circular depression cut into it and a groove running to the edge of the stone.
It was placed in such a position that a pot could be set below it and receive any
water that ran down from the runnel. Possibly there was originally some connection
with the roof of the house and any drainage from it was received in the basin and
through the runnel led into the jar or water pot below on the paving. If this was
really so it would indicate that the water supply of the mesa was not so abundant
and that some such means as this was needed to augment it.
How far the paving ran along the north side of the other buildings cannot be
determined at present as no excavations were made there. There are still two build-
ings to be developed before all of the group is completed.
CAUSEWAY TO THE UPPER PART OF THE MESA
After leaving the group of Location 1 a causeway runs In a general northeasterly
direction towards an ascent which leads to the upper part of the mesa, on which was
placed the guardhouse and large pueblo. This causeway (Plate VI) narrows down to
about 12 feet in width at one point, with a very steep grade on the north side
and a straight perpendicular wall on the south side. In fact all along the
southwestern side of the mesa the top is inaccessible from the canon below.
It is only by going over a mile below (southwest) that one can get up from the
bottom of the canon. On the north it is possible to get to the top by trails that the
prehistoric peoples made. The trail runs along the top of the causeway for several
hundred feet and then begins a very steep climb, leading over loose shale and sand-
stone. This in itself would constitute a fairly good defense, as the enemy in attack-
ing would have to surmount this rise and would suffer from a precarious footing in
the climb which would necessarily retard his progress. The incline rises 75 feet
from the causeway to the guardhouse. In the cap-rock of the causeway are many
depressions, worn by the sharpening of axe's and other stone implements. These are
all of the usual types.
THE GUARDHOUSE
This structure, a one roomed house, is located at the top of the causeway on a
sort of tongue of the upper part of the mesa. There can be no doubt as to its
function, as it commands the only entrance from the lower mesa to the big pueblo.
The building is circular with an oblong structure surrounding it. While the circular
portion is built on the cap-rock, the rectangular room around it is terraced from
the cap-rock to about two or three feet in height on the outside (Plate XI).
This terracing was seen in almost all of the rooms near or on the edges of the cliffs.
Whether the idea was to strengthen the lower portions of the walls or what the use
of the terrace was the writer cannot say, but its frequent occurrence is a matter
for future study. The walls of this room were very fine, of small kiva stones, and
excellently well constructed. The floor, which is fully an inch thick, is very hard and
resembles the old floor of adobe and blood mixture. In about the center of the floor
is the fireplace, 29 by 29 inches and an average depth of 10 inches. It was filled to
the top with ashes when found. To the northeast from the fireplace was a large
storage place in the floor roughly 17 by 111/2 inches and six inches in depth. Next
to this was a sort of cupboard set into the wall with a circular depression and
raised margin which would afford a good rest for a pot. This little cupboard was
well made, the walls being of somewhat smaller stones than the rest of the room.
On the western side of the circle was the entrance to a small room which re-
sembles the katchina-ki of the Hopi (Plate XL). The dimensions of this room are
given on the ground plan of the building (Plate XL). Near the entrance
to this room was found a fine bear fetish made of clay, a beautiful polished
J4 \i:cnA]'(J].OGlCAL IIESEAIICU OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO.
axe head, fragments of a fine antler chisel or flalier, a polisliing stone, a crude pig-
ment grinder and abundant fragments of excellent coiled ware, fragments of a large
bowl decorated on the interior and many other potsherds which are described under
the head of pottery. Bone awls were found directly in front of the door to the
katchina-ki. Accompanying these v/ere the charred remains of a basket.
Between the circular room and the katchina-ki was a good lintel of paving which
was over a foot in width. The walls of the room were excellent, of stones about
the same size as those used in the walls of the larger room. There was nothing
to indicate the height of the katchina-ki. Whether it was only of a shallow depth
or not could only be guessed at from the excavation, however, the writer is of the
opinion that it originally was not much deeper than it is at present because the
terrace around it is not any higher and there are no indications that it ever was
much higher. If it was used for storage purposes it would not need to be any higher
than it is now. Nothing was found in the room. The construction of the roof was
not well enough marked to be positively identified as of any particular type.
It is hardly probable that the Guardhouse was ceremonial in character as so
many things were found in it that indicated a secular use. Mingled with the charred
roof material was a little corn, charred and strewn over a small area of the floor.
Possibly members of one or more clans took turns at guarding the large pueblo and
lived in the house during that time.
THE UPPER MESA AND THE LARGE PUEBLO
A short distance from the Guardhouse is located the largest ruin on the mesa,
this we have called the Large Pueblo for want of a better name. The north side
of the building runs along the cliff, more or less, and is well protected from that side.
Many of the rooms are on the edge of the cliff and those that are back a little
ways are still so close to the edge that a very precarious footing would be afforded
at the best. The south side of the building has quite an area in front of it and attack
could come from this side if the enemy attained the top of the elevation. On the east
and west the building could be arrived at upon gaining the mesa top.
Originally the building must have presented an imposing picture as it rose
above the cap-rock to a height of not less than 20 feet and perhaps more. In most
places the walls are still standing from 10 to 14 feet in height. The dimensions of
this building are 209 feet seven inches long by 70 feet at the widest point. The
deepest room excavated was about 14 feet in depth. The whole building is a compact
mass consisting of two kivas and the remainder living rooms. It is probable when
the excavation is completed that there will not be less than 35 rooms and perhaps
more, as the mounds on the outside of the walls do not indicate whether there are
more rooms under it or not, but judging from present indications it is pretty safe
to suppose that there are rooms there.
Just east of the large building is a small group of rooms without wall definition
at present and forming a low mound. These are almost at the end of the higher
part of the mesa. Next to them is a large depression in the cap-rock in which great
fires have burned, as is indicated by the red fire stains in the sandstone. Just past
this is an abrupt drop of about 20 feet to a lower reach of the neck of the mesa
which connects that portion upon which are located the Chimney Rock and its com-
panion, with the main mesa. There are a few places below the level of the large
pueblo where it is possible to get down to a trail running across to the Chimney
Rock. The sides of the mesa below the Chimney Rock and its companion are very
precipitous and composed of loose shale and sand and it is almost impossible to
scale them. The lower reaches are covered with a heavy growth of scrub oak and
some pine and spruce. The rocks themselves are a mass of fossil and riverbed prints,
fei*ns, palm leaves and many other prints presenting a beautiful picture. With a
small' amount of capital excellent trails can be developed that will make all of these
accessible from the location of the large pueblo. The rocks rise to a height of over
100 feet above the highest point of the mesa (Plate V.). From the location
of the big ruin one obtains a most magnificent view over all of the country excepting
where the view is blocked, on the northeast, by the Chimney Rock and its com-
panion. To the north is a rising country finally losing itself in the high mountains
of the main San Juan range. To the east, excepting a small part cut off as before
stated, is a more or less broken country terminating in the far distance in the Banded
Peak and the Chama Peak with their accompanying mountains, also a part of the
San Juan range (Plate IV.). To the south is another broken country with
ABCEAnntOCACAL ^ESEABCH Oir fiQVTEWESTEHN COLOR AT)0
PLATE rx
Small House Mounds on Top of the Mesa
Loc. I, Room A, Before Excavation
Log. I, Room A, After Excavation
Small House Mound
Metate and Mano in Bin
AECTTAEOLOGICAL EESEAECH OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOEADO.
mesa tops rising and falling (Plate V.). To the southwest lies the beauti-
ful Piedra valley, and on the west the Piedra river and the higher country back of it
rising in terraces. The whole country is beyond the powers of description of the
writer. Water is abundant in the surrounding country and everywhere are great
masses of forests well supplied with game even at this late date.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE LARGE PUEBLO. (PLATE XL)
The construction of the large pueblo shows a more advanced knowledge of
architecture than any other building seen in the vicinity by the writer. That it
was, in part at least, built on a pre-conceived plan is evidenced by certain of the
long walls which are continuous and with the partition walls put in afterwards. This
point will be taken up a little^later. Perhaps later developments will show that the
whole building was planned before it was built, but for the present we can only
consider such facts as we have at hand. The immense amount of labor involved in
getting out and preparing the small stones used is startling at the best. While it Is
true that the material (stone) came from the cap-rock of the mesa on which the
building is located, and that many of the stones were not dressed with any elaborate
care, in some cases were not dressed at all, still, when we consider the immense
number used and the breaking up of the larger masses into the sizes used in the
construction, we feel safe in saying that the amount of labor expended must have
been very large (Plate XIV.). All of the stone used in the building is of the type
known as "Kiva Stones." These seldom exceed 18 inches in length and not over six
inches in thickness. Most of the stones used were much smaller than the dimensions
just given. The larger stones were usually not dressed and were probably used
because they would fit in places such as those in which they occurred. Too much cannot
be said of the beauty of these walls. All of the walls are in good perpendicular and
the corners excellently rectangular (Plate XV).).
As will be seen from the ground-plan of the kiva, it was practically round and
it is remarkable that so large a circle could have been made without mechanical
means. Of course we do not know positively that they did not have some mechan-
ical means for making a circle, but so far within the writer's knowledge nothing
has been found that would indicate any mechanical knowledge or apparatus of this
kind.
Between the larger layers of stone are inserted smaller ones forming regular
courses (Plate XVL). These have been inserted in the interstices while the
adobe mortar was soft, and while there can be no doubt that their first function
was to additionally secure the walls as they rose during the construction, still, in
many cases we find where that necessity did not exist and that they undoubtedly
were inserted for decorative purposes only. The general appearance of the wall Is
of an inlay or mosaic and is very handsome. Unlike similar walls at Aztec and
Pueblo Bonito, no use has been made of potsherds to fill in the interstices. The
inlaid stones between the larger courses are seldom larger than six inches in length
and one-fourth to one-half inch in thickness.
As far as can be determined at present, the long walls of the rectangular rooms
were the first built. Starting from the eastern end of the ruin we found a contin-
uous wall running east and west for a distance of 209 feet seven inches. Paralleling
this wall were three others, thus forming space between them for three rooms wide
In the group. The partition walls were inserted later as is shown, in almost every
case, by the fact that they are not joined into the long walls but have a very small
space between the long wall and the partition wall (Plate XII.). This space
seldom exceeds one-half of an inch and sometimes not that much, the par-
tition being built up to the other wall as close as they could get it. In a very few
cases it was observed, in rooms excavated, that the lower part of the partition wall
was tied, in places, into the long wall ; this may have been only a suggestii;n to the
builders as to the location of the partitions. The walls of the rectangular room
around the outside of the Kiva are not tied into the long walls and therefore would
suggest that they were built separately. It must be remembered that we are con-
sidering only the walls uncovered during the excavating, later excavations may prove
that parts of the theory now advanced are wrong.
All of the walls of this building are of the veneer and core type, that is, a
veneer on the inside and outside and a core or filling in between them. This core
is composed of chippings and other loose stone material and adobe. The proportion
of adobe will run five-eighths part to three-eighths of stone. The width of the walls
AECHAEOLOGICAL EESEABCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE X
West End of Guardhouse Before
Excavation
View of Guardhouse From Large Ruin
West End of Guardhouse After
Excavation
Katchina-Ki in Guardhouse
Interior of Guardhouse
H^ AncifAEOLOaiCAL liKSKAh'ClI OF SOUTHWESTERN COLOKADO.
will run from two feet to four feet or more in the base wall of the Kiva. An average
width of two feet all through the ruin is most nearly correct.
The usual cupboards and niches are missing in all of the walls of the kiva
as well as those of the secular rooms. The only openings are the beam rests and
doorways. In Room 10 are a number of beam rests; openings that do not completely
pierce the walls but arc more in the nature of a niche. Between Rooms 11 and 12
is a doorway that presents many curious features. In studying this wall during
the excavation we were surprised to find that an irregular space was left to be filled
in when the wall was first erected and this was later made into a doorway.
Plate XVI.) At a later period the frame of the doorway was filled in and then it
seems to have been too deep and they again built a small section of wall rising
from the threshold. The unoccupied part of the threshold is on the side towards
Room 12, on the side towards Room 11 is a step built flush with the wall but not
occupying the full depth of the threshold. At first in the course of excavating when
we uncovered this doorway it appeared that the whole of the opening had been
filled in intentionally. A short study of the material used as filling soon showed
that above the top of the step the fill was most irregular and not laid up with care
as the fill below. We soon came to the conclusion that the upper part of the fill was
simply debris from the fallen parts of the rest of the building. This was afterwards
plainly shown by finding that the top of the step was plastered and partly paved
with a thin slab of stone Plate XVI.). Retv>'een Rooms 8 and 9 is a similar door, but
this we did not excavate as the room was only partially cleared. There were no open-
ings of any kind in the outer walls excepting roof beam rests in the kiva which com-
pletely pierced the walls and which will be taken up later.
The dimensions of the rooms excavated are as follows: Room 6, partly exca-
vated, 24 feet six inches by nine feet, by nine feet deep; Room 9, 22 feet 10% inches
by nine feet with the inside wall eight feet two inches in depth; Room 12, 22 feet two
inches by nine feet, and running from eight feet two inches to eight feet eleven
inches in depth; Room 11, 22 feet two inches by nine feet 11 inches and an average
depth of 10 feet 10 inches; Room 10, 25 feet three inches by nine feet 10 inches
and an average depth of 11 feet seven inches. This last room was subdivided into
four rooms, the dimensions of which are given in Plate XV. As the Kiva will be taken
up under a separate head, its dimensions will be given in the proper place.
As all of the walls on this part of the mesa are built right on the cap-rock this
naturally furnished the floor (Plate XVI.) It would appear that no attempt
was made to take off the slabs of cap-rock so as to form a smooth floor. The result
is that there were many irregularities which were filled with adobe and afterwards
the whole surface covered with a heavy wash which made a perfectly level floor.
In a few places there were still remains showing that this wash was carried up
onto the walls and made a sort of plastering over the rocks forming them. Very
little of the wall plaster was still in place and what little there was came away as
fast as the rooms were excavated. Only in one place in the kiva were we able to
preserve a fairly large piece of the plastering of the wall.
The rectangular rooms were originally two stories high. This was so plainly
marked in the debris in the rooms that we were able to visualize from the position
of the charred beams the manner in which the floors and roofs were built. After
removing the upper masses of stone and slaked adobe we carefully skimmed off the
debris in layers about a foot in thickness, in this way we were able to uncover large
sections of the roofs and floor and study their construction. We found that in the
upper story of Room 10 the roof was the same as that of Room 11 which will be
described a little later on.
The floor of the second story was different from the roof. The western half of
the floor had a beam eight inches in diameter reaching from the center to the western
wall of the room This was supported in the center by a wall running north and
south upon which it rested. The western end of the beam was inserted in the west
wall. Covering this were small poles two and one-half to three inches in diameter
running north and south. Above these was a heavy layer of brush and over all a
thick coating or deposit of adobe which bore the imprint of both the twigs and the
smaller poles where the adobe had come in contact with the latter. The eastern
half of the room had three six inch beams running north and south, and poles three
inches in diameter laid above these running east and west. The poles were covered
AECHAEOLOGICAL BESEAECE OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOEADO PLATE XI
\tAlij_..K\ll/, A\l/,,^\\lj^^\l///-<^^U, <\\h.\Mi,Mi^^_^i:^3i^
;'»"..v,A:.";'.v,:;v-'^."r,?,;.'X-'';;*,:
m'
^^^^^^^^^^J^t£^
"^ >.
'^'■■* -.4 -.--i.^Jw v"^^^.**'^*'*'
, "" ■ ■ 4 .
Large Mound before Excavation
Large Mound Partly Excavated
Southeast Corner of Large Ruin
Southwest Corner of Large Kuin
17 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BE SEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO.
in tho same manner as at the western end (Plate XVII.). A curious manner of
anchoring the smaller poles (2^/^ to 3 inches) is shown in Plate XVII., Second.
The wall upon which they rested is two feet thick, at the top of this wall was an
inset of four inches on one side the poles rested on this inset and the wall was
continued upwards thinner than it was below the inset. On the opposite side of
the wall was an inset of four inches which was one course lower than the other
inset and which had a small shelf above it. This inset was let into the wall, while
the other was made by leaving a part of the wall out. The second inset forms an
anchor while the first formed only a rest. This will be better understood by con-
sulting Plate XVIII.
In Room 11 another type or treatment of roof and floor was found. Here a
l)eam fourteen inches in diameter extended the whole length of the room (east and
west). Laid obliquely from this beam to the walls, running east and west, were poles
three inches in diameter, two to three feet apart, and forming a herringbone pattern
(Plate XVII.). The same kind of brush and adobe material was laid above the oblique
poles as in the other rooms.
In Room 12 again another treatment was found. Here there were seven, seven
inch beams, the two end ones resting on the east and west walls and running north
and south. Over the room itself were five of the seven beams and crossing obliquely
from one to the other were again two and one-half to three inch poles with the usual
brush and adobe above them (Plate XVII.).
This variety of placing the roof beams is rather difficult to account for unless it
can be taken as a more or less individual artistic expression. There can be no ques-
tion but that the ceilings and roofs presented a very pleasing appearance. This same
type of herringbone roof and ceiling occurs in many early rooms of the older villages
on the Rio Grande and was used to a large extent by the early Spaniards, especially
in their churches. A more modern example of this type of ceiling is found in the
Cathedral of the Desert which is used as one of the buildings of the State Museum of
New Mexico at Santa Pe
There can be no question but that the outer rooms were used for domiciliary pur-
poses only. Room 12 was perhaps a store room, as this was practically the only room
in which any amount of pottery and artifacts was found. Its curious subdivisions also
suggest that it was used for storage. In Room 11 were found some 19 or 20 metates
with manos and a lot of potsherds. It is hoped that further excavation can be carried
on in this ruin next season and that many questions now seemingly impossible of solu-
tion will be solved.
LARGE KIVA
We called this the large Kiva to differentiate it from the smaller one which was
not excavated. The problems presented by the excavation of this kiva are so complex
that it is hardly safe to venture more than a tentative consideration of them without
first excavating the smaller kiva with the hope that it will present features which will
help elucidate many questions that cannot be answered at present.
Enclosing the circular room is a rectangular building which only comes in actual
contact with the circular walls in one place, namely, where the ventilating shaft rises
between the outer and inner buildings (Plate XIII.). A glance at the ground-plan of
the Far View House on the Mesa Verde will show that the rectangular enclosing wall
touches the circular one at four places, excepting in the case of Kiva D of that group.'
During the writer's excavations at Taos, New Mexico, in 1920 he found a kiva
completely detached from the surrounding buildings but not in the same situation as
at the Chimney Rock. The Taos kiva was subterranean and not on the same plain
level as the rest of the buildings. From the map of the Aztec ruin by Morris it can be
seen that all of the kivas embodied in the main group are attached to the rectangular
walls surrounding them." This o fcourse does not apply to the kivas in the open court.
lA Prehistoric Mesa Verde Pueblo, etc., by Dr. J. W. Fewkes, Smithsonian Report for 1916.
Pub. 2469. 1917.
=The Aztec Ruin, Earl Morris, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural
History. Vol. XXVI., Part 1, 1919.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEAECH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO
PLATE XII
18 AliCUAEOLOGJCAL SESKATiCH OF SOUTITWESTEKN COLORADO.
The outer wall of the circular enclosure still stands to a height of four feet six
inches above the banquette. The inside diameter of the circle above the banquette is
25 feet seven inches The diameter of the circle inside of the banquette is 23 feet
seven inches. The average depth of the kiva is fourteen feet, although originally the
walls must have been considerably higher. As the walls of the kiva rose to greater
heights larger stones were used in the construction and seemed to have made a sort
of cap or protection for the top of the wall. The wall at the bottom, where it rested
on the cap-rock, was over four feet in thickness and narrowed as it reached the higher
levels. At the highest point now remaining it is only about two feet in thickness. With
the broad base larger stones could be used in the upper courses without any danger of
overbalancing the wall. As the wall narrowed in its growth upward so also the core
was narrowed (Plate XIII.).
At a point two feet 10 inches from the top of the banquette was found a fine floor
of adobe. Resting upon this floor were the remains of roof beams, which when meas-
ured and fitted to remains of roof beams piercing the wall on the top of the banquette
fitted exactly. Here we encountered the first puzzle of the kiva. If these beams were
the remains of those piercing the wall on top of the banquette, and there was and is no
reason to doubt this, what was the fioor doing only two feet 10 inches below it? That
it was a floor was established beyond a doubt as we found three storage boxes and a
well-defined fire place in situ, besides the usual adobe floor material almost intact. The
floor of the room was connected with the side walls and the plastering from it rose in
the usual curved manner from the floor and extended almost all around the circle up
the wall. The curved extension of the floor is similar to that used in modern hospitals
so as to leave no angles to gather dust. This floor was several inches thick and rested
upon 59 inches of wind-blown sand which in turn rested upon the adobe wash that
covered the cap-rock. On the upper floor were found a few artifacts and some pot-
sherds besides a great quantity of burned roof material, in fact so much of the latter
was in evidence that we were able, from these remains, to get an excellent and correct
idea of the construction of the roof. The floor was on a level with the top of the
second ventilator, whose open passage extended down 30 inches below this level. The
end of the top ventilator was not finished off with a wall and there was no loose stone
to indicate that such a wall ever existed. It simply terminated in a rough, broken end
which was unfinished. Between the upper and lower ventilator was about five inches
of stone paving which had caved in in a few places, but enough of it remained to show
that originally the whole passage was paved in that way. The edges of the slabs form-
ing this paving rested on the top of the lower ventilator and formed a floor for the
upper passage and a roof for the lower one (Plate XIV.). The upper passage had a
roof of poles of about two inches diameter. Some of the originals are still in situ in
the tunnel running thrugh the wall from the vertical shaft to the inside of the building
(Plate XIV.). While the walls of both passages were very well made, those of the
lower one were the best, and the termination of the lower passage was flnished off in
such a manner as to indicate that possibly at one time there was a wall across it. A
small part of such a wall was indicated in the lower few inches at the end of the
passage (Plate XIV.). The cap-rock formed the floor of the lower passage.
No artifacts, potsherds, ashes or burned material of any kind occurred in the wind-
blown sand between the floor and the cap-rock and upon reaching the adobe covering
the latter we were amazed to flnd only a few minute indications of burned material
and no artifacts of any kind. In fact the above covering was practically blank. This
complicated the problem of the roof and the upper floor. Had the upper floor not been
tied to the walls and had there been a lot of burned roof material on the lower floor it
would have been easy to carry out the idea of how the building had been constructed,
but as it w^as we constantly recurred to the problem of how the roof material and a
fireplace and other things occurred in and on a floor with a roof only two feet 10 inches
above it. A glance at Plate XIV., Upper, will show just what this problem is. Utmost
care was exercised in measuring and fitting the charred roof beams and there is no
question in the writer's mind that they belonged together. The beams were 14 to 15
inches in diameter where they emerged from the outside walls and rested on the ban-
quette. Where they pierced the walls a regular rest had been constructed for them
Plate XIII.). This rest reached from the wall to the edge of the banquette.
The charred remains of the beams rested on the floor directly below the place where
they had broken off. At no place in the upper part of the walls, above where these
beams rested, were any indications of other beam rests or remains of beams found,
either in niches in the wall or piercing it.
AECEAEOLOGICAL EESEARCH OF SOUTEWESTEBN COLORADO PLATE XIII
/^^^ ^t £~i f.^^r-M. 1^
ifer^Pj
7ieo"r rest <"» ^"f'
•™»5 l.,„ .•J.,,t,/iri^fi%il
Ground Plan og Big Kiva
Looking Across Big Kiva
1
1
4^,r.,,
1
J)
1, «"
-; :{
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J
\_
I
L
•H
J'/O"
^^^^^^^^;'
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y. /. ^^-.i^^
^
te^*-'^ % >•
' ;,.• "•
Outside Wall of Big Kiva
Plan Showing Successive Stops in the Construction
of the Roof of the Big Kiva
19 AECnAEOLOGlCAL RESEAMCB OF SOUTH JVK.^TEliN COLORADO.
A most interesting feature of the kiva is the rectangular fireplace and its situation
(I'late XIV.). At Aztec, Xew Mexico, is a ventilating shaft sunk below the
low the level of the floor and with a circular fireplace at the end on the floor level so
that the draft from the passage blows up from below and over the firepot. In the kiva
now being discussed, there is no termination to the upper passage and the fireplace is
not at the end of the shaft but to one side of it, and at such distance away that there
is no great probability that the draft from the passage could influence it in any way.
(See general plan of the kiva.) Another feature that is not usual is that the fireplace
is rectangular and not round. The northern end of the pit still has remains of a very
good wall and the rest of it was plastered and possibly in places more or less walled
up as at this end. A marginal outline of the pit composed of large rectangular slabs
lay flush with the floor level. The small storage boxes in the floor as shown on the
ground plan were excellently well constructed and with care we were able to take two
of these out whole.
The following will give an idea of the dimensions of the storage boxes in the floor.
The one on the east side of the room measured eight and one-half inches on the east,
nine and one-fourth inches on the west, five and one-half inches on the north and five
inches on the south side. The depth of the box is five inches. It had an irregularly
shaped slab for a bottom and no cover. The one next to the ventilator in the south
side of the room measured six inches in length by three inches in width and six and
one-half inches in depth. It had a slab for the bottom and another for a cover. The
one on the west side of the room had caved in and we were not able to measure it.
These boxes had evidently taken the place of the niches usually found in the side walls
of other kivas and were probably used in the same manner for the storage of small
ceremonial articles. There were no niches in the side walls of the kivas.
To fully excavate the kiva it was necessary to remove most of the upper floor,
although a part of it was left in the north side of the room for future study. The sec-
tion of the filling left was comparatively small, but gives an idea of the various strata
as they occurred from top to bottom and including a small part of the floor. It was not
deemed wise to remove this block as future study may help to solve the problem of the
floor and its present position.
Neither the upper or the lower floors showed any indications of a sipapu or de-
flector, nor were there any pilasters present in the building. The only things suggest-
ing a kiva were the circular form of the room, the banquette and ventilators.
The roof material indicates that the roof was of a more or less new type of con-
struction. Planted in the windblown sand below the upper floor, in the center of the
kiva, were the remains of four upright posts. These were about four feet apart and the
tops of the posts were bound together with a square frame set on them. Horizontally
laid beams of about 15 inches diameter pierced the circular walls of the kiva and had
their inner ends resting on this square frame on the top of the upright posts. The
outer ends of these beams extended through and beyond the outside of the circular
walls, and after entering the room rested in well made placements on the top of the
banquette. The wall was pierced at regular intervals. Above the large beams were
smaller poles of about two and one-half to three inches diameter, these were laid
obliquely on the beams and again made a sort of herringbone pattern as was seen in
the other roofs. Above the poles came the usual twigs and above them the adobe coat-
ing. Unlike the roofs in other places in the southwest the coating of adobe was cov-
ered with a paving of slabs somewhat heaped up in the center and probably making an
entrance, raised, similar to that of the ones found in several kivas at Walpi today
(Plate XIII.).
In front of the rectangular walls surrounding the kiva, on the south and east sides,
is a series of small rooms, one of which we excavated. As will be seen from the ground
plan of the kiva they could not have been used for dwellings and it has been suggested
that they were intended for burials. The room excavated yielded only a very few
small splinters of animal bones and nothing else. Its dimensions are five feet by seven
inches in length, one foot nine inches in width and nine feet eight inches in depth.
Possibly when the other rooms have been excavated something will be found in them
that will indicate their use. We did not have time to ascertain if the series ran com-
pletely along the eastern side of the wall.
There are indications that there are other rooms all along the front of the group on
the south side. This would mean at least four additional rooms of which we now have
no knowledge.
AECHAEOLOGICAL BESEABCH OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOBADO
PLATE XIV
-1
"T^ZU ' ' ^'.
^"•d »•<,««
iTrC/ilte 0/ vent, fa ten.
Ctnttr iecti\., r,ith «'•«. c„t <>
Looking Into the Big Kiva
Double Ventilator \x\ the Big Kiva
aMRlMii^RlBnisi**
View of Ventilator From the Floor
Upper Passage of the Double Ventilator
20 ARCHAEOLOGICAL MESEATlCU OF 80V TU WESTERN COLORADO.
SUMMARY
There are many interesting and unusual features about the buildings of this group.
The excellent walls, all built of kiva stones, very large rectangular rooms, and almost
detached circular wall of the kiva, cap-rock used for floor, stone slabs added to the
roofs above the adobe, and all of the other things uncovered, make this group a
problem that will develop many new things in the study of the early Pueblo architec-
ture. That the whole culture is a local development can hardly be questioned, even
taking into consideration the small amount of information at our disposal at this time.
The well defined steps as have been shown in the earlier parts of this report are so well
indicated that we can almost presume that they are correct. There may be a few
things develop later to change, in a minor degree, these steps, but the writer feels safe
in saying that no radical changes are to be anticipated.
Minor Antiquities
STONE
On Plate XVIII. are shown a number of geological specimens found in some of the
rooms.
A. A lump of cream white chalcedony about three and one-fourth inches at the
widest point by two inches at the highest. This was found with several other geologi-
cal specimens in a pit-house and was probably used as a fetish. It is a well known
fact that the Hopi as well as the Rio Grande Indians use geological specimens as
fetishes, both on their altars and in their personal fetish bags.
B. A wedge shaped piece of limestone concretion with irregularly shaped streaks
of red jasper running through it, and in many places raised above the surface of the
concretion. This is an unusually interesting and attractive specimen, and from its
appearance would attract the attention of an Indian who, not understanding the man-
ner of its formation, would naturally attribute something supernatural to it. It v/as
found with the piece of chalcedony described above. The dimensions are two and
three-fourths inches in length by two inches at the widest part of the wedge shape.
C. A large piece of yellowish red jasper which has been chipped in a very irregular
way, and may have been used for the purpose of breaking off flakes for arrow heads.
This was also found with the two specimens described above. It is four inches in
length by two and three-fourths inches in width.
D. A piece of limestone with desert polish (oxide of manganese). The general
form of this is somewhat similar to that of a metal axe head. The edge is rather sharp
and while there are no indications that it ever was hafted and used to cut with, still
it is more or less of the general type of the crude cutting edge axe head that is found
all over the southwest.
E. A piece of sandy limestone, irregularly shaped, as a scraper or pottery paddle.
It measurse roughly, four by 3 and one-half inches, and is of an average thickness of
one-sixteenth of an inch. It was found in a pit-house with a lot of broken pottery that
had been buried with the body of a woman, and was probably one of the tools with
which she made her pottery. It shows many marks of use.
F. A mass of topaz crystals in thin sheet form. This was found with specimens
shown at A, B and C, and was probably used as a fetish. (Note: These specimens
were identified by Mr. M. J. Collins of the Colorado Bureau of Mines.)
CRUDE CUTTING EDGES
As is the case in almost every section of the southwest, the Pagosa-Piedra region
yielded a great number of crude artifacts of stone. Of these the greater number were
the crude cutting edges which were more commonly used than the highly specialized,
finely flaked knives. The specimens picked up in this region present nothing especially
new. They range from flakes with a sharp edge to those that have been more or less
flaked. The cruder ones are not necessarily found in the earliest types of pit-houses
but aeem to extend all through the sequence of house building. Some of the crudest
specimens were found in the large ruin on the top of the Chimney Rock mesa. The
materials used embrace sandstone, limestone, petrified wood, flint, jasper and even
flakes from granitoid boulders (Plate XVIII.).
ABCHAEOLOGICAL BESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE XV
Plaster on the Walls in the Big Klva
Fireplace in the Upper Floor of the
Big Kiva
Rectangular Rooms Partly Excavated
Looking Across Room Ten
Rectangular Rooms
Niche in the Wall of a Rectangular Room
21 .inCTTAEOLOGlCAL liESEAHCTT OF SOUTH JVESTERN COLORADO.
CRUDE AXE HEADS
Only a few specimens of crude axe heads were found and as these do not present
any unusual features they will not be described. One finely finished axe head of hema-
tite was found in the guardhouse with the bear fetish described elsewhere.
METATES AND MANOS.
Here again we have only the usual types and they need no description.
BONE
Bone material was rather scarce throughout the whole area. However, those things
which were found do not present any unusual features.
A large fragment of antler was found which was probably used as an instrument
for puncturing as the sharp end is smoothed off and indicates, by the marks of usage
on it, that it was not used as a flaking tool, but rather to punch holes (Plate XIX.).
One fragment of antler has no marks indicative of its use. The writer has found
a number of these and has never been able to obtain any information as to their prob-
able use. The pieces are usually about three or four inches in length, cut from the
part of the antler where it enters the socket in the skull, and with the opposite end
cut in a rounding manner. While the horn was in a green condition or even after
being well dried, it might have been used as a hammer head of some kind, but in the
specimens so far found by the writer, there are no marks of a haft or handle around
the piece, nor have there been any marks on the end to indicate that it had been used
as a hammer (Plate XIX., B).
An unusually fine flaker made from the tine of an antler was found in the guard-
house with the bear fetish, and despite the fact that it has been subjected to some fire
in the destruction of the building, it has remained very hard and has a beautiful black
polish. It shows plainly that it had been used a great deal (Plate XIX., C).
The rest of the bone specimens are of the usual types. Only one bone tube or bead
was found (Plate XIX., D). A spatulated awl form may possibly have been one of
the implements used in making the cuniform Impressions that appear to have been so
popular on the coiled ware of this region. It is about two inches in length, flat on both
sides and would not stand any great amount of pressure in case it were used to sew
with, therefore it seems more natural to suggest that it was used for marking pottery
(Plate XIX., E).
Pottery
No area in the entire southwest, presents a better and a larger field for the study
of prehistoric pottery than that of the Pagosa-Piedra. In the coiled ware alone there
are so many varieties and different ways of treating the coils that it seems as though
the limit of coiled design must have been reached. Forms, too, present both old and
new types. While the design elements are more or less of the usual geomtrical, recti-
linear and curvilinear types, still there are several new elements and in the later speci-
mens there is a highly sophisticated evolution of these. Each step of the sequence of
house building is accompanied by a more or less distinct type of ware and while these
blend in, one with the other, to some extent, yet there is a difference that cannot well
be mistaken.
CHRONOLOGY
In the earliest types of pit-houses we find only the crudest forms, possibly a tech-
nique which antedated the coiling of the clay. These pieces are always small vessels
not over four inches in diameter, the usual form being of the most primitive. They
have the appearance of having been made by taking a ball of clay and punching out
the form; finger prints and smears on the exterior and interior plainly indicate that
they were not coiled and the coil afterwards obscured. Only one specimen of this kind
was obtained although many fragments of others were found on the surface of the
ground on the sites of the early pit-houses.
The next step was shown in the pieces whose forms were suggested by gourds,
squash and other vegetables. These are mostly heartshaped or globular and flower
pots with elongated bottom. Coils were used at this period.
In the third group we find the beginning of open bowls, probably suggested by
dividing a squash in half. In a ruin of this period was found an open bowl coiled .on
ARCHAEOLOGICAL BESEAECE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE XVI
Corner in a Rectangular Room
^^
BEKinr^rtr '^^^^'^HH^^^^^^^^^^^I^M
. {
- > •%
>«: "«?■■
^-^^ ■ ^^v
Caprock Used as a Floor
Rooms on the Edge of the Cliff
Doorway Between Rooms 11 and 12
Interior of Rectangular Room
22 ABCnAEOLOGICAL BESEAECn OF SOVTHWESTKJIN COLORADO.
the outside and smoothed off on the inside.
In the next step we find the applying of a slip on the outside of the vessel and
inside of the bowls. Here we get the larger ollas or water jars, undecorated but
smoothed on both the interior and exterior. The form is suggestive of the Apache
water bottle.
In the fifth step smears appear and simple design elements begin to be noted,
forms are varied and in the last part of this period the wares have assumed some of
the better types found elsewhere in southwestern Colorado. In this and the preceding
step we also find pitchers, the first ones undecorated and extremely crude in fofm, then
progressing to some that are nicely decorated and of fairly good form.
In the last period there seems to have been a very decided advance in the ceramic
art. More or less eccentric forms with elaborate decorations, open bowls with straight
high walls and a slight curve in the lower reaches, open shallow bowls, good pitchers,
well decorated heartshapes and others bring us down to a period very near to the best
work of the Mesa Verde and the Montezuma valley wares. There is so little real red
ware that it hardly seems that it was native, but in all probability was intrusive and
acquired by barter from other places. This is borne out in part, at least, by the finding
in the ventilator of the large kiva of some fragments of a very handsome red bowl, with
black decoration and a coiled exterior, showing a much finer technique than any found
on the local black and white. In the store room were fragments of red bowls and a
handle of a cup that were equally as good as the fragments in the kiva ventilator.
Whether these fragments were of native manufacture or not we were not able to decide.
The paste and color of the ware are different from anything else we found in the ruin
but the design is the same as appears on the black or white ware of the last period.
PASTES
In the earliest ware the paste is very sandy and seems to lack temper and cohesion,
whether the fact of its having been buried so long has anything to do with its fragile
state is not known. The paste has a greater content of sand than any of the later
wares, while the clay is either of a poor quality or not enough of it has been used to
make the right proportions with the amount of sand used. This type of paste runs
pretty well into the third period. The early coiled ware is also of a similar type. There
is a possibility that the contact with fire has had a lot to do with the degeneration of
the paste of the cooking pots.
As the wares increase in variety of form and beauty, especially after the applying
of the slip, the paste changes to a fine, strong, grayish-white color and from this time
on it improves until the paste of the vessels found in the large pueblo is as good as any
found in the prehistoric southwest. Owing to a local ingredient, no doubt, there are
many of the sherds and complete specimens of the black on white ware that have a
decided bluish cast in the slip. This is similar to the same colored cast noted in some
of the finer black on white pieces found by the writer on the Chama River in 1919.
This coloring appears only in the last step of the sequence of the Chimney Rock
Chronology.
DESIGN
In the first types, with applied wash, found in this region we find that the earliest
attempt at decoration consisted of smears without any attempt at a design element.
At equidistant places on the interior or exterior of the vessel would be made perpen-
dicular smears with the finger, from this was derived the first black on white decora
tion. These then went on developing until the most highly developed and intricate
design elements that exist in southwestern prehistoric ceramics were evolved. Only a
few sherds were found to show the intermediate steps, but enough is at hand to indicate
that the evolution of design followed about the same course as elsewhere in the south-
west. Straight lines running horizontally around the exterior of water jars and in the
interior of bowls were without a doubt the beginning. The addition of perpendicular
and oblique lines followed, and from that naturally came the frets, triangles, filled in
triangles, zigzags, volutes, hatched designs and all of the other elements that could
be evolved by the brain of the artist decorator. As the specimens found will be taken
up in detail later it is not necessary to dwell any longer on this part of the discussion.
On one or two bowls are combinations of design elements that are unique as far
as the writer's experience goes. A curious mixing of hatching, circles, two or more
lines as elements, present a complete whole that is strangely suggestive of certain
other areas and yet is distinctly local in the arrangement. In the same room and on
AllCHAEOLOGICAL BESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLOBADO PLATE XVII
Cfllinv <on ttr „ tt on Tlooo- /O
U-J . I ./ A /^ u-::^
tV\<»-An«v oV lo...iti.o ro»4^^atT\j a»^
■Roorti /^
L'.-. AL'CIIAEOLOGICAL EKSEAliCH OF SOUrilWKSrKRN COLORADO.
the same floor level (big ruin) were found remains of several bowls that are different,
decidedly so, in the placing and character of the design elements. It does not
necessarily follow that their being found in the same room and on the same floor
level would mean that they are all of the same period. In the ruin of Po-Shu, on the
Chama River in New Mexico, the writer found vessels of widely different periods on
the same floor level and in the same room All of the bowls at present under dis-
cussion are of the black on white and are not at all alike in texture, paste and density
of pigment. Even the slips differ, one from another, very much in color and texture.
As far as can be established from evidences at hand at present, there was no re-
occupation of the large ruin on top after it was abandoned and therefore the differ-
ences in the pottery cannot be definitely ascribed to certain periods. Whether further
excavation of the group will later develop features indicating a secondary occupation
is something that of course cannot be known at present. In the ruins in the lower
parts of the country we have well defined types of buildings upon which to base our
surmises as to periods, but in the large ruin, so far, there is only one period indi-
cated.
FIRING
The general appearance of all of the pottery seems to indicate that one of two
conditions existed with regard to firing. Either they did not appreciate the fact that
where the flame comes in contact with the piece that is being flred that the slip and
decorations would burn a different color from those portions that were not directly
exposed to the flame, or they knew this and were careless in the building of the fire
and permitted the flames to come in contact with the vessel.
Where the flame came in contact with the black pigment used in the painting
of the designs it burned from a blackish brown to a dull red. The red is quite differ-
ent a shade from that produced by using ochre or oxide of iron, it is clearly a case of
over-flring. Where the flame came in contact with the white or cream colored slip
the result was a dirty gray or even a light black, part of the latter shade may also
have been produced by a smoke stain which was burned in. These defects are
apparent on almost every piece of the decorated ware found in the Pagosa-Piedra
region. It is also apparent in the coiled ware that is made of a sort of a yellowish
paste. Especially evident, in this type of ware, are the smears produced by smoke.
Where the wooden parts of the buildings have been destroyed by fire and the
pottery in the houses has come in contact with this fire, the whole pot is burned to a
bright brick red. .In some cases, especially in the ruins of the pit-houses, we found
that the pottery had been broken before the fire reached it and when the sherds
finally became heated from the burning roof material, the heat was so intense as to
warp the individual sherds to the extent that it is almost impossible to reconstruct
a vessel from these sherds. The bright brick red coloration of the crude undecorated
pots as found in the pit-houses cannot be confused with the variations in the coloring
of the true red ware.
PIT-HOUSE WARES
On Plate XXI., is a typical group of pit-house pottery. The globular forms,
E. and F., seem to be the commonest and possibly the earliest. F., shows the coiling
very plainly and has two openings drilled in the top besides the main opening. The
paste of these two pieces is very sandy and contains many minute quartz crystals,
or rather pebbles. In the pot marked G., we have a variation of the globular form
with a somewhat elongated top. Just below the opening in the top are four equi-
distant holes. A rather crude heartshape is shown by C. This has four holes drilled
in the top. All of the above named vessels are over five inches in height. It is
strange that all of the globular and heartshaped vessels found have holes drilled in
the tops. It has been suggested that these holes were for the purpose of inserting
strings to hang up the vessel, but this does not seem very satisfactory as the paste
of the vessel is not solid enough to withstand the strain that would be put upon it
to hold anything in the vessel when suspended by strings fastened in the holes.
Could it not be that these holes were for the purpose of inserting prayer feathers,
not necessarily making the vessel a ceremonial one, but making it possible for it to be
used in ceremonies when the occasion required?
The dipper shown at D., is extremely crude in construction but of very good
hard paste. It is not decorated and the form is not very graceful. The curious wall
built across the place where the handle joins onto the bowl is very unusual. On the
outside of the bowl the coiling can be plainly seen as it is only partially obscured.
AECHAF:0L0GICAL BESEARCH of southwestern COLORADO PLATE XVIII
ni»nn,. ot .,., „^ .., „^„ .f 7i.
Geological Specimens
.i^=^S
C::::
:^
VI. ATE XIX ARCHAEOLOGICAL liESEAIiCIT OF SOUTTIWESTEJiN COLOHADO
Bone Implements
Pottery Object
niiiM/fiifri
wmmymm
aUil^li^^^^^
Basket Weave
24 ABCHAEOLOGICAL EESEAECH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLORADO.
The specimen marked H., appeared at first to be the bottom of a large jar of
some kind, but when examined showed that the lip is finished and that there never
was a top to it. The paste is very sandy but nevertheless is hard. The lip is incurv-
ing and poorly finished off. The jar stands eight inches in height and is 12 inches
wide at the greatest diameter.
Specimen I., is an elongated flower pot shape. There are several of this shape
in fragments in the collection, some of them may be reconstructed. The elongated
flower pot is one of the commonest forms found in the Pagosa-Piedra field in the
houses of the third and fourth periods. The specimen shown on this plate is coiled
and has two different types of coiling. The paste is hard and somewhat sandy, but
of excellent temper. While the walls of the pot are rather thick, it is not ungraceful
in form. It is nine inches high by six inches wide at the greatest diameter. The
flower pot form seems to have been the forerunner of the larger cooking pots with
out-bellying sides and narrower bottoms. More specimens will be required before a
complete sequence can be traced.
The specimens marked J., are stoppers or plugs that were found with the two
specimens marked C, and E. These stoppers are made of clay, very coarse, sand
filled paste, without a slip or decoration. They are more or less common in all of the
pit-house locations.
THE COILED WARE
As has been stated before, the coiled ware presents a great variety in the manner
of coiling. From all that we know now of the subject, the coiled ware seems to have
advanced much more rapidly than the black on white. Even in the earliest coiled
pieces there is an attempt at an elaboration of the simple coil. In some places this
is shown by drawing an oblique furrow or furrows with the finger across the horizontal
coils, without effacing them at all. Again, in place of making the indentations in the
coil with the finger or finger-nail, a sharp instrument has been used and this cuniform
indentation is so regular that it appears at first to have been produced by a basket
impression, however, a close examination of the ware will show that it is not basket
impression. Some unusual specimens have been found with large rough coils with a
deep furrow running horizontally around the pot and oblique indentations in each
separate coil that do not connect in the series. There are a few specimens of obscured
coiling and also of obliterated coiling. These were probably the first attempt at
making smooth ware. The coiling is not confined to any one type of form. We find
coiled globular pieces, coiled flower pots, large and small, coiled cooking and storage
pots, some of these are unusually large.
One remarkable feature not observed before is the zoning of the coiled ware.
In some cases there are as many as four well defined zones or bands of different
kinds of coils on the same vessel. The coiled ware, which was found together with
the finest types of decorated ware, is of a remarkable beauty, showing an artistic
expression of the potter that is most pleasing and well worth while.
BLACK ON WHITE
A group of five bowls, all in fragments, was taken out of the room in which the
burial was found, on the Harlan ranch. The first of these, Plate XXII). Lower, is
eight and three-quarters inches in diameter, beautifully shaped, with the typical
Apache basket form. The slip is a cream white while the black decoration is of a
very poor pigment and badly faded. The paste is smooth and very hard.
Plate XXII., Center, is a very handsome bowl, the interior of which is completely
covered with the design. It is seven and three-fourths inches in diameter and is
also of the Apache basket form. Both black decoration and white slip are excellent.
Plate XXII., Upper, was a very handsome bowl with a design that indicated a
master craftsman's hand in the decorating. The interlocking volute with the radiat-
ing points is somewhat suggestive of certain Hopi motives. The paste is very hard,
rather a dirty white in color, while the black decoration is very black and good. The
execution of the difficult design is unusually fine.
Plate XXII., Lower, is reminiscent of certain of the designs found on the biscuit
ware of the Jemez plateau. The triangle with the dotted edges occurs often in the
biscuit ware and the whole treatment of the design elements painted on this bowl
suggest an early step in the biscuit ware design elements. The piece was over-fired
and the design shows reddish brown instead of black. The slip is more or less
25 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO
earth-stained and the entire bowl is rather ordinary from the standpoint of work-
manship.
Plate XXII. The design on this bowl is the interlockinR birds seen so often
on the southwestern pottery. Here again we have a suggestion of the bird as used
in the later biscuit and late prehistoric red and polychrome wares of the Jemez
plateau. It is most interesting to find so many things suggestive of the Jemez
plateau wares as it seems to corroborate, in part at least, many of the stories of the
Tewa and other Rio Grande peoples, that they came from the southwestern part of
Colorado. This bowl is badly earth-stained and the design overfired and burned
reddish brown. The workmanship is much better than on the preceding bowl and
the bowl must have been very handsome when it was new.
One of the best and finest pieces obtained in the entire summer's work is shown
in Plate XXIV. The form of this vase is not only graceful but shows an
artistic expression that is most unusual. The slip is of a peculiar gray-blue and the
decoration in a soft black that blends very beautifully with the background. The
form is very nearly that of some of the black water jars seen at Santa Clara and
San Juan, New Mexico. One curious feature is that the jar is not round but oval.
Everything about this jar shows the master potter. The side walls are very thin
in proportion to its height and width. The decoration is carefully drawn, the form
symmetrical and the proportions excellent. It measures eight and one-half inches
in height by ten and one-fourth in width at the widest part, while the opening at the
top measures five and one-half inches.
WATER JAR
One specimen, in the black and white ware, is perhaps as unique a one as has
been found in the whole southwest. At first glance it suggests one of the so-called
duck shapes, but after a little study will be seen to resemble a bladder more than
anything else. It is also suggestive of a skin water bottle, such as one often sees
in the orient. The form is in good proportion and rather more graceful than other-
wise. The neck is very small in proportion to the rest of the vessel and is placed a
little to one side on the top instead of in the center of the forepart. Possibly this
made it easier to pour the liquid or fluid from the jar. (Plate XXIV.).
The design is one of the most intricate and elaborate that the writer has ever
seen. It is composed of a series of volutes, the spirals of which are not in curvi-
linear lines but rather angular in character. Each spiral is terminated in a stepped
end. (Plate XXIV.) In copying the design from the vessel it was impossible to
follow the exact spacing between the different elements of the pattern and some
allowance must be made for this. However, the only differenc is that in some places
it was necessary to make a wider space between elements, but no other changes were
made. The whole effect is decidedly oriental and suggests some of the early Chinese
designs.
The paste of the vessel is of excellent hard, dark gray, smooth and well mixed.
The slip is of a brilliant white and originally had a high polish which is still in
evidence in places. The black is a deep black with a strong suggestion of blue
undertone. The drawing of the design is indeed a masterpiece. The lines are
unusually fine and even. The spacing is carefully made and the whole execution of
the vessel is masterly showing that an artist must have made the piece. The dimen-
sions are: 18 inches at the longest point, 11 inches in height just below the rise of the
neck and the opening at the neck is about two and one-half inches in diameter.
The vessel was found in one of the rooms in the large pueblo on top of the
mesa.
RED WARE
No whole pieces of red ware were found and from the few fragments obtained
it will be very difficult to reconstruct even what we have. However, enough frag-
ments of a heart-shaped piece were found to fill in the missing parts and make a
fairly good reconstruction of it. This was found on the upper floor of the kiva.
The walls of the heart-shaped piece are rather thick and while the form is
graceful, yet the work is not of what might be called the best. Originally there was
some sort of a design on the top encircling the opening, but this has been so far
AECHAEOLOGICAL BESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOEABO PLATE XX
Miscellaneous Objects
26 ABCHAEOLOGICAL RESEAECH OF SOUTEWESTEBN COLOBADO.
effaced that it is impossible to tell what it was. The bowl is four and one-half
Inches high and eight and one-half inches at the greatest diameter. In most places
the red has been burned almost black by contact with fire, either afc the time the
kiva was destroyed or at the time of the burning of the piece. Traces are still
evident to show that it was nicely polished.
There are fragments of three red ware bowls. These are thin and well made,
not enough remains of them, however, to give any idea of the whole design. One
shows a small part of a design similar to that seen in Plate XXXVII., Lower. The
second has a design with hatching between the lines and the third is plain. In
making a count of several hundred sherds of all kinds we found that the red ware
only runs about one in a hundred or one per cent of all of the wares found.
Some unusually fine sherds were found in the kiva ventilator shaft. There are
no two fragments which fit together, but there are enough to determine that the
outside was coiled, regularly and evenly, and the inside decorated with a design
(from fragmentary evidences) mainly of volutes and a few straight lines to connect
them. The sherds are very hard and while the black pigment of the decoration is
bad, the whole bowl, with the red slip inside and outside, was a very good one and
suggested the finer red ware of the Chaco Canon. As has been said elsewhere in
this report, from its rarity and finer paste, it would seem that the red ware is not
native to the region.
Medicine Bowl and Contents
This is one of the most remarkable finds of the whole expedition. While explor;
ing on the second bench east of the Piedra River, Mr. Palmer found the medicine
bowl and its contents. Accompanying it were some remains of human bones but
in such a bad condition that it was not possible to save anything but a few frag-
ments, and then not enough to say whether they were from a man or a woman, the
skull had entirely decayed. From all of the evidence at hand, it would appear that
the burial was made in a pit-house, as both the bowl and the skeleton were lying
on a well plastered floor. The accumulation over them was of the usual type found
in pit-houses. Owing to the house being on the extreme edge of the bench it is
probable that a large part of it has weathered off, as several fragments of bone were
found on the slope below.
The bowl is of a very coarse sandy paste, of a dirty grey color, and not very
well tempered. The interior has been smoothed off and shows striations similar to
those produced by wiping with a corn cob. There is no slip either Inside or outside
and no attempt at decoration. The whole surface of the interior is crazed more or
less irregularly showing a rather dry mixture of the paste. The rim is rough and
not well finished. The exterior is coiled in broad, rough coils. In several places
the ends of the fillets are decidedly apparent and where they were joined to the
next one show quite a break, no attempt being made to conceal the connection. Judg-
ing from the breaks in the coils, the whole bowl appears to have been made with
four fillets, as the ends of three of these are plainly to be seen. The bowl measures
six and one-half inches in diameter, and is about two and one-quarter inches in depth.
As the bowl was being taken out of the ground, it was noticed that the dirt in
the interior seemed to contain several objects. As soon as the bowl was completely
free from the earth surrounding it, Mr. Palmer started to clean out the interior and
we were very much surprised to find, in the dirt inside of the bowl, 10 different
objects. When we returned to camp we washed all of these, with the result that
the bowl was found to have contained: one elbow pipe with a frog in relief on the
front of it, two spirifer shells, a small piece of petrified wood, a jasper pebble, a
small black flint pebble, a partly chipped cutting edge of quartzitic sandstone, a
piece of yellowish clay with a fossil imprint suggesting two horns, a piece of bluish,
plastic clay speckled with brown spots and shaped like an egg at the top and sides,
the bottom being prolonged into a round base with a flat surface for the whole thing
to stand on, and a scraper for use in making pottery, this latter was made of clay
and baked. (Plate XXIII.)
Of all of the contents of the bowl there are three objects that are the most
interesting. Pipe comes first (Plate XXIII.) It is of greyish clay, not
extra well burned, the paste a little finer than that of the bowl in which it was
found, but still somewhat coarse grained. The outside had been smoothed off but not
covered with a wash. The little frog on the front of it is 13/16ths of an inch in length
AECEAEOLOGICAL EESEARCE OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLORADO PLATE XXI
Pit House Pottery
27 ARCHAEOLOGICAL liESEARCJI OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLORADO
while the width of the body is 5/16ths of an inch. The legs are extended as though
the frog were lying stretched out, a small part of two of the legs is missing and in
the vacancy caused by this is the imprint of the missing part. The whole figure
was made and applied after the pipe itself was made. The dimensions of the pipe
itself are as follows: from the mouthpiece to the crook of the elbow one and 3/16ths
inches. From the crook to the top is the same distance. These measurements are
on the top of the pipe. The following are those on the bottom: from the mouth-
piece to the crook one and 9/16ths inches; from the crook to the top is the same
distance. The opening at the top is one-half inch in diameter; the hole in the
mouthpiece is 2 16ths of an inch in diameter. As far as the writer's knowledge
goes, there have been very few rectangular or elbow pipes found in the southwest,
and this seems to be a very unusual form.
Probably the next most interesting thing in the group is the blue clay fetish
(Plate XXIII.). This is %ths on an inch in height and 13/26ths of an inch
in diameter. What it was intended to represent it is impossible to say as it is unlike
anything found so far. It appears to have been baked and polished afterwards, the
surface is smooth and there are several places on it that look as though it had been
rubbed after it was shaped. The brownish spots on the surface appear to penetrate
into the interior, these spots, on the blue surface and the contour of about %ths of
the object, give it an appearance much resembling a robin's egg.
The last object of unusual interest is the clay imprint with the two horns
(Plate XXIII.). This has the appearance of being incomplete; the two horns are
very suggestive of those worn by the Koshare or clowns of the modern pueblos. There
is a possibility that this curious formation may have attracted the attention of the
person who found it, by the two horns resembling those worn by the Koshare. That
there were Koshare or similar fraternities in prehistoric times is shown by the'
finding of paintings of 'them on pottery and also on the walls of caves.
POTTERY OBJECT
This object, which is of unknown use, is made from a very fine grained black
paste Plate XIX.). The outside was burned to a reddish tint while the
inside is black. It is five and one-quarter inches in length by one and three-quarters
inches in width and nine-sixteenths of an inch in thickness. The whole piece is
slightly curved. At the two ends and in the center to the top are two holes each;
these holes do not run through the object, but run from the top through and piercing
the sides, they were made by some sort of a tool similar to a bone needle of the
common type so often found. A fragment of another piece of pottery similar to the
one just described was also found.
Bear Fetish
This remarkable object was found in the guardhouse at the head of the trail
leading to the lafge-ruin. It is made of pottery, the paste being that of the finer black
cooking ware. One ear .and a small part of the tail are missing. It is three and
three-fourths inches in length and two inches in height. The figurine is most life-
like and the view of the head, from the front, is remarkably true to the animal
Plate XXV.). .
It was found on .the floor of the guardhouse directly in front of the small room,
off from the large one. Accompanying it were the remains of two cooking pots
fragments of a small heart-shaped decorated jar, a fine hematite axe head, and a
very good flaking tool made from the tine of an antler.
SHELLS
Only one specimen of an olivella was found. This is of the ordinary type such
as is found so often in the ruins of the southwest. It measures one-half of an inch
in length (Plate XX., A).
One of the most remarkable objects found was a shell gorget or neck pendant.
This is made of abalone shell and is very beautiful (Plate XX., B). It measures
one and five-eighths inches by two and 15/16ths inches. The iridescent colors are
excellently well preserved despite its long burial. The form is strongly suggestive
of similar gorgets found in the mounds of the eastern states. The finding of finished
shell ornaments in this part of the southwest is rather unusual. It was found in
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE XXII
Interlocking Birds
Dotted Triangles
Designs Taken From Black on White Ware
Lightning
Interlocking Volutes With Radiating Poi.its
28 ARCnAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO.
the upper ventilating shaft of the large kiva in the main pueblo on the top of the
mesa.
Accompanying the shell gorget just described were two beautiful turquoise ear
pendants (Plate XX., CO. These are about an inch in length by three-fourths of an
inch in width at the widest part. The color is of a robin's egg blue with spots of
peacock blue that make the whole very handsome. This type of turquoise is found
oftener in southern Colorado, just north of the town of La Jara, than in any other
place. The mines in the vicinity of La Jara are noted for the rich coloring of the
turquoise found in them. It may be possible that the early inhabitants of the Pagosa-
Piedra region made the journey over the mountains into the San Luis valley for
turquoise, as there are many of these trails still visible; or they may have acquired
this kind of turquoise from the Utes, who in later days it is known, used the trails
mentioned to cross over the mountains into the San Luis valley and from there to
the Sangre de Christo and Green Horn mountains.
OTHER PENDANTS
A curious thing was observed in the excavations, namely: that pendants seemed
to occur only in the pit-houses, with the exception of the abalone shell and the
turquoise described above. From reports made, it seems to be the usual thing to
find one or more pendants in every pit-house opened up. The writer saw one large
pendant taken out of a pit-house, of this region, that was made of a beautiful purplish
black tourmaline. In our own excavations, three specimens were found on the
Harlan ranch.
The first (Plate XX., D) is made of gypsum roughly one inch long by one-half
inch wide. The hole is neatly bored and the outer surface still shows some of the
polish that probably occurred from wear.
The second one (Plate XX., E) is a long, flatish piece of dark sandstone and
was probably in imitation of a claw of some kind. It was about two inches long,
originally, but the top is now broken off and lost. This piece had been made with
great care and was probably one of a series.
The third one is a fossil shell with a hole bored into the end opposite to the
hinge (Plate XX., Fl. It is about two inches in diameter. Around the periphery
of the under side are many small notches that are not natural and which have been
cut into the shell with some sort of a sharp implement. The striations in the drilled
hole are very plain.
PART OF A BEAR FETISH
A piece of gypsum shaped like a bear, with the head broken off, was found in
one of the pit-houses (Plate XX., G). This was probably a fetish such as is still
carried by many of the pueblos as an individual fetish. The body is fairly well
shaped and cannot be mistaken for something else.
SMALL FETISH STONES
Four small stones were found close to the headless bear fetish (Plate XX., H).
The first is an egg shaped piece of chalcedony, rounded and shaped by rolling in the
course of a stream. It is about three-fourths of an inch in length and less than
one-half an inch in diameter.
The second piece is a small piece of jasper, also worn as though it had been
carried a long time in a fetish bag (Plate XX., I).
The third is a small piece of dark flint, also water worn (Plate XX., K). The
fourth is a small piece of chrysocoUa worn and polished. There is a great deal of
chrysocolla in the country around the Piedra river. In color it runs through many
shades of green and blue, and often suggests turquoise (Plate XXXXI-K).
It is a well known fact that many of the pueblos carry small water worn pebbles
and other geological specimens with other fetishes in their personal fetish bags, the
larger specimens being used on the altars and in different ceremonies.
GAMBLING DIE
This interesting article was found in one- of the rooms in the large ruin on top
of the mesa. It is made of bone and measures one inch in length by three-eighths
ABCHAEOLOGICAL BESEABCH OF SOUTHWESTEBN COLOBADO PLATE XXIII
Design in Blacl< on White Bowl
Blue Clay Fotish
IVledicine Outfit With Bowl In Which
They Were Found
Geological Specimen
Pipe
20 AJiCHAEOT.oair.lL nESEtnCU OF SOrTTTWESTETtN COLOEADd
of an inch in width. It is oval in form, with a flat face, which is criss-crossed with
black incised lines. The somewhat rounded back follows the contour of the bone
from which it is made. Dice of this kind have been found in other sections of the
southwest and are still in use among many of the tribes for gambling purposes
(Plate XX.. L.)
OBSIDIAN INLAY
A circular piece of obsidian measuring 7/16ths of an inch in diameter was
probably intended for inlay purposes. One side is perfectly flat and the other has
been chipped so as to leave a low raised surface, pyramidal in form. The only use
that can be suggested for this piece is that it was part of an inlay (Plate XX., M).
Basketry
While excavating the guardhouse we found a few fragments of a charred basket.
There was enough to show the type but not the form. A careful examination under
a glass shows that two rods and a bundle were used (Plate XXIV.). The two rods
were on the bottom and the bimdle on the top. The stitch did not pass through the
bundle but over it and through the lower stitch. This is quite different from the
stitch used in the baskets found by Drs. Kidder and Guernsey in southeastern Utah.
The material of which the baskets were made is in such poor condition that it is
impossible to Identify it.
Mortuary Customs
From evidence found, we may feel safe in saying that the prehistoric people of
the Pagosa-Piedra region practiced cremation as well as interment of the dead.
Burial grounds accompanying the earliest pit-houses indicate that they cremated
their dead, there do not appear to be any well defined cremation pits in this period,
but on the edges of the benches above the river are long rows of places containing
partially calcined bones accompanied by ashes. The cremation of the whole body
does not seem to have been accomplished, and only partial cremation is suggested
from the remains. These remains do not occur in house ruins.
In the small house excavated on the Harlan ranch the remains of a woman about
35 to 40 years of age were found (Plate VII.). This was a burial of the usual
type. The body had been placed in the southwestern corner of the room in a
flexed position. Accompanying it w^ere the remains of many pots which had been
crushed by the falling in of the roof. This burial presented no new features and is
very much the same as is found all over the southwest.
On the north side of the high part of the Chimney Rock mesa, just below the
big ruin, a curious mass of rubbish and calcined bones was found. This mass is only
a comparatively few feet below the rim-rock and was found while we were looking
for burials. It covers an area of about 10 to 15 feet, up the side of the mesa, extends
for a stretch almost 200 feet long. When first encountered it looked as though It
might have been the dump heap from the village above it, on the cap-rock, however,
when we dug into it we were surprised to find mingled with the trash, which was
not of the usual dump heap character, a large number of human bones all more or
less calcined. Three places were selected and carefully excavated, and it was found
that it was not a dump but a place of cremation. There were no regular pits, but
the side of the mesa had been leveled off, somewhat, so as to give a sufficient sur-
face for the placing of the body and the wood, and the fire then applied. There are
indications that before the cremation was completed, earth was thrown over the
whole mass, and only partial cremation occurred.
Not a single case was found where there was enough left of the bones to deter-
mine anything more than that they were human bones. Accompanying these were
masses of broken pottery and remains of artifacts all more or less showing the
marks of fire. Each cremation had a fairly well defined area and did not seem to
overlap any other area, as would have been the case if this had been a dumping
ground.
A fuller investigation of this part of the mesa will be made during the next
season.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL BESEARCE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO PLATE XXIV
Design on Water Jar Shown Below
Water Jar, Black on White Ware
l«ll«p«|f|IMIIV*l«fM^
■
|_arge Jar, Black on White Ware
30 Ai:cnAT:OLO(lICAL RESEARCn OF SOVTIIWESTEEN COLORADO.
Summary
It is, at this time, much too early to try to draw any direct conclusion as to the
age, people, length of occupation, etc., of the Pagosa-Piedra region. We have only
the results of one season's work upon which to base any conclusions and this is not
sufficient for anything more than a surmise at some of the problems presented.
That the earliest inhabitants came into the country at a very remote date is not
to be thought of. That the first occupation of the region antedates the Mesa Verde
district may possibly be developed, but it is still an open question. Where there is
no data upon which to build, the placing of even a tentative date is absurd. There
are many features that might indicate a more remote antiquity than the Mesa
Verde, but these may all be changed by the results of another season's study in the
lield. That the Pagosa-Piedra people had not attained the high degree of culture,
in many ways, that the Mesa Verde people had, does not necessarily indicate that
they lived in Colorado at an earlier date. There may have been good reasons why
they did not progress more rapidly and therefore were behind their neighbors further
west.
That the people who formerly occupied the Pagosa-Piedra region were any but
Indians is also absurd. The Tewas of the Rio Grande have a number of very credit-
able traditions that they, at one time, lived in southwestern Colorado, and have place-
names for many of the ruins there. So far the writer has not been able to consult
with his Tewa friends to see whether they have any traditions referring directly
to the Pagosa-Piedra region or not. The Hopi, Zuni, and other of the modern
pueblos also have many traditions referring to their former occupancy of south-
western Colorado.
As to the length of occupation of the area we again find ourselves in the dark.
From the number of ruins in the area (literally thousands) it would be natural to
suppose that it was a thickly settled one, and that the people were there for a long
time, but this is not necessarily true. Many of the houses would not take a long
time to build and may have been, to some extent, only temporary shelters. As we
had no opportunity for an extensive study of them, it is not possible for us to say
how much evidence there is that would indicate the length of the occupancy of the
houses. In a few cases we found very thick masses of plastering on the walls and
again there was no plaster on the walls of other parts of the same buildings or of
associated ones.
One very satisfactory result gained was the establishing, in a more or less cor-
rect sequence, of the evolution from the semi-subterranean houses to the large pueblo.
There may be a few minor mistakes in the sequence, but from all that we have at
hand now, it is not probable that there will be any very radical changes made
necessary.
The work of the past summer was necessarily more or less in the nature of a
reconnaissance, and while some extensive and intensive excavation was done, it
is not sufficient to give us more than general ideas on the subject. It would be of
great value to carry on an intensive survey of the country adjoining this area and
follow the ruins until they connect with the Montezuma valley and the Mesa Verde.
In this way important data would be obtained that might place the Pagosa-Piedra
region in its proper place in the chronology of pre-historic Colorado.
From evidence at hand, it is pretty safe to say that the culture is one of local
development, and while it may not have reached its greatest heights in this region,
as was the case at Mesa Verde, the early inhabitants of the Pagosa-Piedra area had
gone far in the development of house building, pottery making and other things.
How much they were influenced by their neighbors remains to be uncovered. It is
not likely that they were all alone in that section of the country, and probably
there was some intercourse with the peoples of other parts of the region. The few
red sherds found in the ventilator of the kiva certainly do not belong to any class of
ceramics found so far in the region. The turquoise found could only be acquired
by barter or travel; the same applies to the olivella and abalone shells. While most
of the geological specimens found in the houses are native, still there are several
specimens that must have come from somewheres else, as the region has, so far, not
furnished similar ones.
The peculiar grouping of the single houses and towers on the top of the mesa,
and the placing of the large pueblo on the extreme highest point, would suggest that
AECEAEOLOGICAL EESEABCE OF SOUTHWESTEEN COLOBADO PLATE XXV
Bear Fetish Made of Pottery
M/ll/'ra/B
Black on White Jar
Black on White Pitcher
31 AliCHAKOLOaiCAL BESEAliCH OF SOUTIIIVESTEEN COLORADO
there was some defensive reason in mind when these places were built. Possibly
they were driven out of the low-lands and took refuge on the heights and yet, if there
was a large number of them this would be a rather difficult matter, if the enemies
were outside of their own people. At that time the nomadic Indians (Utes and
others?) had no horses, and no means of providing a commissariat sufficiently large
to take care of a large number of people. Game may have been abundant but this
would necessitate hunters who would have to be withdrawn from the siege. It would
require a large number of Indians to surround and capture, even the smallest groups
of detached houses, and in a country as thickly settled as the Piedra benches appear
to have been, the attacking foes would be exposed, in the rear, to the attacks of the
friends of those whom they were attacking.
A more satisfactory explanation would be that of internecine strife. The growth
of the larger clan to the detriment of the smaller ones could not help but cause jeal-
ousy and strife, and here we have a better argument than that of outside foes driving
them from the low lands.
Whatever the cause was. it is plainly evident that the highest phase of the culture
occurred on the mesa top as is indicated by the better buildings, finer and better made
pottery and other artifacts.
May it not be that many, if not all, of the buildings in the low lands were abandoned
in a peaceful manner, and, as was the custom when abandoning a village, the houses
were destroyed? The fear of a house in which someone has died, as it still survives
with the Ute, Apache and Navajo, may have caused the destruction of more than one
building. While we have no real evidence that such fear existed in the minds of the
prehistoric people, still the modern pueblo has, in a measure, a fear of the dead that
is something more than subconscious.
Where the people went, at the final abandonment of the region, is not known, but
it is to be hoped that some data on that question will be revealed by further research.
The curious suggestions of design elements that are found in later periods in the Jemez
plateau is food for thought. Some of the design elements of the Piedra region occur
in such startling forms on the biscuit ware, in almost unmodified versions, that it is
worth making an examination of this matter.
The remarkable resemblance in masonry to Aztec and Pueblo Bonito are also to
be seriously considered. Unfortunately the means for publishing this paper are not
sufficient to give a series of comparative photographs of the walls of the regions men-
tioned, otherwise some interesting data could have been shown. This may be brought
out at a later period.
Prat 0/
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