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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION &
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 32
ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU,
NEW MEXICO
4
PG. AT. Li. FEW eT
APR 97 10
Fe Feed iv
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= 70 92 a. el
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WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
L906
ENGEL aeMee eee oe aNd Ae weir ale teenie ehh Se wists Na Se sce es Secs
Introductory note
Physiography of the Jemez plateau
Archeological remains
The ancient inhabitants
Distribution of the ruins
I. Ruins of the Pajarito plateau
5 Savion es cesinn es Se eee oe See See eee Soe eee eres
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
26.
5 ECS SU 2 Sa ne hr eS ., Se
tie mnneokinhe Ohamiavdtaimares. nc. + n5 254. Gaseeeee tic ce 2. ends Sle
inoihnuincese eee) = Seer sae Nr ee eee Sees
MEG UI Crees ae eis Re sare ee Se Sats 22) EE eee
KewengyAUlngele esac. so 522. Se eer Sete ae Pa eae
BADE GINIU be Amemend A saan Fc as eee 2 Ble Se ae
20
28.
29
30.
3l.
CONTENTS
a Clini Oe Sec ee ee A ee eae
Mad Nie sa bail ede = ray Ane a Seperate 2 ee «ANA! igri 1! ent
SYD aNCG IS oa a aS a a Se Se
5 NIDA US A ees les eee a oo Ig rere EA
Se Shive Qua sme eae meee oor ee Pe Se eS Be ee
oribytaKoranyie 27505 Ae ee eats Son ee eee Se ee eee
. Pueblo of the Yapashi and the Stone Lions............-.-------
Pinon UU VAN IntACA Stes so! ehh ae ee aoe 2 eam alee oases cle
32.
33.
34.
URIS 20 eet renee: 2 ge eee ee ieee
DuMIP OVS Ree ee = Baar ae Peer oe So See) Se
OO PROSCUINGE, Ol OSCLE,. Sats sees es ae = ae hci he ine =
21
29
Ww bw be
NOwnbwwWwnWwnnwWw WWW bb
OO SD HD or cr &
4 CONTENTS -
Distribution of the ruins—Continued. : Page
II. Ruins of the Chama drainage—Continued.
INO: 36.4Homayor222 ese o0 ee oat cee ee eer Fee Bree Pees 39
No. 37." Houirl: .2.2_ 2.4 a ee eee ee oe ee 40
Now 38: ‘Sepawi..: 22.22 oe eee Sista BLN ache St 40
No. 39. Cristone and other ruins above Abiquiu...._........-.-.---.--- 40
Til. Ruins of the Jemez :valleyee vo) ja eee oo toe See ee ee 44
No. 40. 2.2 Se ot sis gas ee ee ee ee te eee ee en Ba eee 45
Noi Als. £2 ss 52 Faas a aig ah oe LORI ay) een ar 45
No. 42. - FE AT ca RS hey nea Sh ie 46
No. 438. Parowee IS Se Yl Wes HE One a 46
No::445 Astialakwast22s 22 Sues ee TR ek es ee 47
No:.45,-Ginsewac: <j. <0 S ais tet ba oe ees oR ee 47
No: 46:Amoxiumaqua.c 3... 2 2225S ncaa 2 eee ae Se eee 48
NO As. ser ea oe ae eee ae Mae Jat hea 49
Nos 485 Sate Es ee a ek ae ced ee ae ee er 49
No 740. as Se ae eI a oe a pe EE Be Se 51
Scattered one ‘Nodizea (Ree eet ee eee ae oO e SS ee ae en 51
Minor remains: of antiquity... 222. 22. 2258 se Sa eee 52
The privilege of excavation....... - Vick bake 53
Appendix A. An act for the ayeseranen a Venere euiemges batt ig See ae 54
B. Specimen record for card catalogue of ruins and other archeological
SILOS) occas seas we Fad Sate wh A ee ee ee ee oe 54
ee
PLATE
ILLUSTRATIONS
I. Eastern margin of Jemez plateau from the pueblo of Santa Clara. Frontispiece
II. Entrances to excavated cliff-dwellings.
III. a, Restoration of Tshirege pueblo.
b, Restoration of cliff-dwellings, Tshirege.
IV. Petroglyphs on the Puyé cliffs, Pajarito park.
V. a, Cliff-village of Puyé;b, Ruins of Puyé pueblo.
VI. Tent-rock cliff-dwellings near Otowi canyon.
VII. Maps of Tsankawi and Tshirege mesas.
VIII. Trees growing in ruins of pueblo and kiva.
IX. a, Ruin No. 18; 6, Pueblo of Yapashi.
X. a, Stone lions of Potrero de las Vacas; }, La Cueva Pintada.
XI. a, b, Gallinas bad lands; c, d, Ruins of shrine and reservoir, Pajarito park.
XII. Types of artifacts of stone.
a, b, Hatchets. :
c, Hammer.
d, Maul.
e, f, Metate and mano.
g, h, Obsidian flakes.
XIII. Types of artifacts of bone, shell, etc. :
a, 6, c, d, Bone whistles.
é, f, g, h, Bone awls.
i, j, k, l, Pendants of shell.
XIV. Types of pottery.
a, Coiled ware.
b, Bow] with glazed decoration.
c, Smooth black undecorated ware.
d, Incised ware. ‘
e, Polished decorated ware.
XV. Mortuary pottery.
XVI. Ceremonial objects.
a, War god.
b, Mountain lion fetich.
c, d, Fire stones.
e, f, Medicine stones.
g, h, Ceremonial pipes.
XVII. Map of Jemez plateau.
Fic.
1
2
3
4.
5
6
7
Ground plan of Shufinne..-.---.-.-- 2 Tech) 2 3 Oe ee Nea eee A
Papa (Ok: PUVCt selcims eels Ls Oa
eGroundaplan of (Navahil. 2.222 =e eee kn Sec swig da oe sees nee
(Groundeplancof. Piminican gwisn. =a seer ene ee eee ei
Pe OMIEN Sep RAM ROl: CRAG eed hs eee RR Soa 5a 5 apne she cia aise
Pada Ah, OF OUG WHE seme eres a Pe ME ee ica ie ge Ce Sos A Baios's ee
o Ueteape rigs eye] Giga) a RET 9 eee = Se ae oe
. Ground plan of Sandia
. Ground plan of Navaw
: Ground: plan of ‘Tshirege... :.2 2222.2 cc Soca ee Oe oe ee
. Ruins of kiva or counc
. Ground plan of ruinn0; 17 322255 Fae ee
” Ground’ plan ‘of rain NOt shG fa 2 see ee ee ee
,. Ground ‘plan of ruin 0 419 2. 2220 be Ae eee ee ee ee
. Ground plan of ruin 16202752 ar a ae ee
. Ground; plan; of Polhuuimpe: 2.2 eee eae A ee ne
- Ground ‘plen:-of ‘Teéumgess 2 255.024 sone Gaps eee
= GroundiplanvofiKeweneyauin ces ser are ee
. Ground plan. of Abechtu=22 > 232.- 6 tae eee
. Ground plan of Chipitmuinges.:2. 0 -<6. Se eee ee
. Ground plan of Yugeuinge- - IAT Piet
. Ground plan of Poseuinge (Eocene) Sag ose oe Se Se Bape ee ee
Ground plain. of Homayo: 222: Jassie. 32sec eee ee ee
- Ground’ plan of Howin. 2: os: i 7s a eee ee ee ee
5. Ground plan of Sepawi
. Ground plan of ruined
. Ground plan of ruined
. @;Ground planiel Patokweaso: 2) i2c.ei2 2s aaae. eee
ILLUSTRATIONS
Lowe SY wo tec Bee epee ee
il\chambers dishirec cies ee ee
pueblo 3 miles;west of Jemez ... 2-4 aoe See
pueblo on: Vallecito Creek. .3: 02 dase ae oe eee
b; Ground, plan of Astialakwa.2.. /.a2. G2: = Seba ae eee ee
(-aréund plan‘of Arpoxtumquat 2/22 52. Sets oe eee
. Ground plan of ruined
. Ground plan of ruined
pueblo 15 miles above Jemez .-.-...---------- ee
pueblo 16 miles above Jemez... ....-.2-+.--222-5
ANNOUNCEMENT
The present bulletin is intended as the first of a series treating of
the antiquities of the public domain, and designed to supply the very
general demand for fuller information on this subject than has yet
been furnished. Recently widespread interest in these remains has
been aroused, partly as a result of their rapid despoliation by relic
hunters and inexperienced explorers, and a vigorous movement for
protective measures has been organized. From time to time during
the last few years efforts have been made to perfect and bring to the
attention of Congress a suitable provision for the preservation of the
antiquities under consideration and a measure generally approved by
the scientific institutions of the éountry has recently beén presented
to that body.¢ Meanwhile the several departments of the Govern-
ment having jurisdiction over the lands on which the ruins are situ-
ated have recognized the need of adequate protective measures, and
have taken decisive steps looking toward the preservation of the ruins
and their proper utilization in the interest of history and science.
The greater number of these antiquities are situated (1) on the
national forest reserves, (2) on the Indian reservations, (3) on the
unappropriated public lands. The first class is thus under the juris-
diction of the Department of Agriculture and in the immediate cus-
todianship of the Forest Service. The other two classes are under
the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, the second being
under the immediate custodianship of the Office of Indian Affairs and
the third under that of the General Land Office. The departments
mentioned have. issued stringent orders prohibiting the excavation
of ruins or burial mounds and the carrying away of archeological
specimens without permission of the Secretary of the department
having jurisdiction over the lands involved, and also prohibiting
traffic in specimens that have been collected on the reservations.
Furthermore, the issuance of permits has been restricted so as to
include only competent archeologists working under the auspices and
for the benefit of reputable scientific or historical institutions, or organ-
izations having adequate museum facilities and provision for perma-
nent custodianship of scientific collections.
The Bureau of American Ethnology has been called on from time
to time by the departments for information concerning the location
and character of certain ruins and the qualifications of persons
and institutions to conduct investigations among them, and it is
aThis measure became a law in June, 1906; for its provisions see Appendix A, page 54.
8 ANNOUNCEMENT
partly with the view of supplying more fully the information required
in the practical work of supervision that the present publications are
undertaken. The researches of this Bureau, extending over the last
quarter of a century, have resulted in the accumulation of a vast body
of information relative to prehistoric remains of the tribes, and this
has been embodied in reports most of which are out of print. Not-
withstanding the constant demand for these works, it is not possible
to republish them, and the series of bulletins now contemplated will
in a measure take their place; at the same time these handy volumes
will serve for the use of forestry officers, Indian agents and police,
Land Office agents, and others having official custodianship of the
ruins, as well as for persons desiring to visit the sites or to undertake
archeological researches. The bulletins will be prepared by the best
qualified authorities on the several areas of which they treat, and will
be accompanied by maps giving the sites already located and afford-
ing the means of making corrections and additions. When suffi-
ciently perfected, the data embodied in these maps will be incorpo-
rated in the general archeological map of the United States which is
in course of preparation by the Bureau.
The present bulletin, by Edgar L. Hewett,’ embraces the very
important culture district in New Mexico of which the Jemez plateau
is the central physiographic feature. Mr Hewett has in hand a sec-
ond number, to include the region drained by the northern tributaries
of the Rio San Juan in Colorado and Utah, an area of which the
Mesa Verde and its wonderful cliff-dwellings form the center of interest.
Dr J. Walter Fewkes is engaged in the preparation of a third bulletin
on the vast area included in the drainage of the Little Colorado, and
Dr Walter Hough has taken up the antiquities of the upper Gila
valley. Other numbers will follow as rapidly as possible, until the
whole Pueblo area is adequately presented.
This series of publications, however, must be regarded as essen-
tially preliminary, since the available data, although adequate for cer-
tain localities, are still fragmentary, and since much careful exploration
is necessary before the subject can be monographically treated. In
view of these facts it is most desirable that information should be
obtained from every available source, and the Bureau especially
solicits the aid of correspondents in correcting the data published and
in locating and describing additional sites of all kinds. A card cata-
logue of archeological sites of whatsoever character is being prepared,
and cards indicating the nature of the data required will be furnished
by the Bureau on request.%
W. H. Hormgs, Chief.
a A specimen record indicating the desired data is presented in Appendix B, page 54.
ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU,
NEW MEXICO
By Epear L. HEwert
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
The region ta which the name Jemez plateau is here applied lies in
the northern central part of New Mexico on the west side of the Rio
Grande del Norte. The greater portion of the plateau is occupied by
the Jemez forest reserve. Six Indian reservations or grants border on
or lie partly within its limits; these are the San Juan, Santa Clara, San
Ildefonso, Cochiti, Santo Domingo, and Jemez. Of the remaining
portion all that is not embraced within private land grants and small
holdings is public land. The ruins referred to in this bulletin are dis-
tributed as shown on the map (pl. xvm). In many cases locations are
only approximate, owing to the lack of authoritative surveys. The
map was prepared by the Forestry Office, the data being furnished
by the Forest Service of the Agricultural Department, the General
Land Office and the Geological Survey of the Interior Department,
and by the War Department, with corrections and additions by the
author. The archeological features of the map are the result of
investigations of the Bureau of American Ethnology, and are to be
revised and extended as soon as the necessary data are obtained.
PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU -
The Jemez plateau may be said to extend from a point almost
directly west of Santa Fé to the Colorado line, a distance of about 90
miles. It is limited on the west by the Rio Puerco and has an extreme
breadth of about 60 miles (see map, pl. xvm). The area is divided
unequally by the Rio Chama, which flows through it from northwest
to southeast. The backbone of the northern or smaller portion is the
Tierra Amarilla mountains. With this region we have little to do in
this paper, as it is devoid of any conspicuous ruins except in the
southern part, that is, in the Rio Chama drainage.
South of the Chama and crowning the plateau is a great complex
of mountains loosely known as the Jemez. There are two important
ranges. The western forms the watershed between the Rio Puerco
and the Rio Jemez, and the eastern forms the Jemez-Rio Grande
divide.
9
10 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
The leading topographical features of the entire area are mountains,
characterized by massive rounded contours, the highest peak attaining
an altitude of 11,200 feet; flat mesa lands of an altitude of 7,000 to
8,000 feet, cut up by innumerable canyons from 100 to 1,500 feet deep,
the mesas sloping gently from the mountains to the valleys, on whose
borders they terminate in bold perpendicular escarpments (pl. i); and
narrow sandy valleys at altitudes ranging from 6,000 to 7,000 feet.
The mountains are for the most part well forested with pine, spruce,
fir,and aspen. No peaks extend above the timber line, as is popularly
supposed, the baldness of their tops having been caused by fires. The
mesas are rather thinly covered with pifion, juniper, and cedar inter-
spersed with many small open parks. The valleys naturally produce
sage, chaparral, and cactus, and can be adapted to agriculture and
fruit-growing by means of irrigation.
There are but few permanent streams throughout this area. Pre-
cipitation ranges from 10 to 15 inches annually. There are a high
percentage of cloudless weather, little snow except in the high moun-
tains, excessive evaporation, summers never excessively hot or win-
ters very cold, an atmosphere of marvelous clearness and dryness, and
generally speaking, a climate unsurpassed for salubrity. The country
is poor in game and fish, nor are wild fruits or other natural food
products abundant.
This region became the seat of a considerable population in prehis-
toric times and almost innumerable ruins of the ancient civilization
are distributed through the Pajarito plateau, the Chama drainage,
and the Jemez valley.
The culture that developed here was evidently molded largely by
the physiographic conditions above described. Being deficient in
game and other natural food supply, the country did not offer an
inviting prospect to a nomadic people, while, on the other hand, the
adaptability of soil and climate to agriculture, and the natural protec-
tion from enemies afforded by cliffs and canyons rendered it attrac-
tive to a people of sedentary inclinations. The selection and prepa-
ration of ground for agriculture naturally tended to permanency of
abode, and the peculiar geological conditions as naturally determined
the character and construction of the dwellings of the people.
ARCHEOLOGICAL REMAINS
The ruins of prehistoric habitations, occurring in vast numbers
throughout the Jemez plateau, are of two general classes, cliff-
dwellings and pueblos.
The cliff-dwellings of this district are quite generally of the exca-
vated type, whence is derived the term “cavate dwellings,” which is
sometimes applied to them. This type embraces a wide range of
domiciles. The*most primitive is the natural open cave, formed
principally by wind erosion and only slightly, if at all, enlarged and
_ HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU ili
shaped by excavation (pl. 1, a). A considerable advance over this
type is shown in the wholly artificial dwelling excavated in the per-
pendicular face of the cliff (pl. m, 6), the front wall being formed of
the natural rock in situ. Numerous variations occur as shown in
the illustrations, the most important of which are those with cased
doorways (pl. 11, ¢) and those with front wholly or in part of masonry
(pl. u, d,e, f). It is evident that when in use the majority of these
dwellings were rendered much more commodious by the building
of porches, as shown in the restoration (pl. m1, b) in front of the
excavated rooms. In some cases complete houses were built upon
the sloping talus, as shown in the restoration of Tshirege (pl. 11, a),
the excavated rooms at the back being used mainly for storage
and burial crypts. These cliff-dwellings occur in vast numbers in
the southern faces of the tongue-like mesas (potreros) of volcanic
tufa that extend out from the base of the mountains toward the valley
on what is known as the Pajarito plateau, the table-land lying between
the Jemez range and the Rio Grande. They occur also in similar
formations in the mesas that are drained by the southern and western
tributaries of the Chama. Occasionally they are found in cliffs with
eastern exposures, but they very rarely face either north or west.
The pueblo ruins are those of the many-chambered community
houses which are found upon the mesa tops and in valleys independent
of any support from natural cliffs. They exist in large numbers on the
Pajarito plateau from Cochiti north to the rim of the table-land overlook-
ing the Chama valley; in the valleys of the northern tributaries of the
lower Chama; on the mesas both north and south of the upper Chama,
particularly in the Gallinas “‘ bad lands;”’ and in the Jemez valley.
The pueblo structure is invariably a cluster of rooms or cells. There
are numerous variations of extension and arrangement. In some
cases the rooms are arranged irregularly and in others they have a
definite alignment of common wall.¢ The smaller pueblos were but one
story high, while the majority of the large ones were from two to four
stories. There was a general tendency to build them in quadran-
gular form. Many single-chambered ruins are found in the vicinity
of the pueblos. These were for the most part simply camps or look-
outs, similar to those now used by the Pueblo Indians in summer.
Petroglyphs or rock pictures are numerous throughout the districts,
especially so on the Puyé cliffs in Pajarito park and in the Rio Grande
valley between La Joya and Embudo. Fine specimens are to be
seen also at the mouth of the Canyones overlooking the Chama. The
illustrations here presented (pl. tv) give a fair idea of the range of
designs. While some of these represent nothing more than idle
picture-making, perhaps most of them are of serious totemic, legend-
ary, and religious significance.
aThe accompanying plans of pueblos represent only an approximation to the arrangement and
extent of the rooms.
12 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
THE ANCIENT INHABITANTS
Naturally the first question that arises in the mind of every intelli-
gent visitor to these cliff-dwellings, is: Who were the people who built
and lived in these peculiar homes? It has been customary to answer
that these were simply the earlier homes of the Pueblo tribes now
living in the villages near by. This answer must, at least, be qualified.
It was accepted by the early explorers on the evidence of surface
appearances and the traditions of the living Pueblo Indians. Subse-
quent observers merely followed the lead of their predecessors.
Extensive excavations made in recent years have brought to light
more reliable evidences. Large collections of the ancient pottery
have been compared with that of the modern Pueblos and but few
similarities found in form, color, mode of ornamentation, and sym-
bolism. This in itself would not be conclusive proof of lack of identity
between the makers, but it is supported by the indisputable evidence
of the anatomical characters of the people. The living Pueblo
Indians are predominantly (50 to 75 per cent) brachycephalic, or
short-headed people; while the ancient people of the cliffs, as shown
by the examination of a large collection of skeletal remains excavated
by the writer at five different sites on Pajarito plateau, were practi-
cally 100 per cent dolichocephalic, or long-headed. The noticeable
proportion of long-headed people found among the present Pueblo
Indians probably represents an infusion of blood from the ancient
cliff-dwelling tribes. In the light of the mass of evidence now at hand
the answer of the present author to the question, Who were the inhabi-
tants of the cliff-dwellings and ancient pueblos of this plateau? would
be as follows: The ruins herein described were the ancient habitations
of Indian tribes some descendants of which are doubtless now living in
the adjacent valley of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, but most of
whom are probably dispersed widely over the southwest. In every
existing Tewa tribe (San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Nambe,
and Tesuque) it is claimed that certain clans may be traced back
through one or more migrations to the ruined pueblos and cliff-villages
of the Pajarito plateau. The same may be said of the Keres villages
(Cochiti, Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Santa Ana, and Zia), while it is
known that the earlier Jemez people and their kindred occupied sites
farther up the valley well into the historic period.
The pueblos and the cliff-houses were occupied during the same
period and by the same people. Theage of these ruins may be approxi-
mately fixed. The San Ildefonso tribe has occupied its present site
since before the Spanish conquest, we may say four centuries. On
the opposite side of the Rio Grande, a mile west of the present San
Ildefonso, are the ruins of Perage. This is the village last occupied
by some of these people prior to their removal to Powhoge, their
HEWETT| ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 18
present site. Their traditions indicate a residence at this site of as
great a duration as at their present location. Archeological evidences
would reduce this period somewhat. It would thus appear that the
San Ildefonso have lived in the valley for from six to eight centuries.
The next earlier site of at least one or two clans of this tribe was on
the plateau, at the great pueblo and cliff-village of Otowi, where there
is every evidence, fully sustained by the traditions of the people, of
long-continued residence. The history of this’village is almost a repe-
tition of that of each one of the Tewa villages. It appears that the
abandonment of the cliff and pueblo villages of the plateau occurred
from six hundred to eight hundred years ago as a result of climatic
modifications by reason of which the hardships of living at these sites
became unendurable. The transition from plateau to valley life was
not necessarily sudden. There is no evidence of any great simultane-
ous movement from all parts of the plateau. The change was proba-
bly accomplished within a generation or two, one village after another
removing to the valley or to more distant places, as the desiccation
of the plateau proceeded. There is at present not a single stream on
the east side of the Jemez plateau between the Chama and the Jemez
that carries its water to the Rio Grande throughout the year. The
ancient Tewa people were, as are their modern successors, agricul-
turists; hence, their living was dependent on the water supply. Only
the most primitive style of irrigation was practised and there is every
evidence that the region was never rich in game or natural food prod-
ucts of any kind.
It must be remembered that the foregoing statements refer to the
period of continuous residence on the plateau. There have been from
time to time in comparatively recent years sporadic reoccupations of
these ancient villages by clans from the valley, as that of Puyé by the
Santa Clara Indians, and of Kotyiti, or Pueblo Viejo, above the Cafiada
de Cochiti, by the Keres after the Pueblo rebellion of 1680. These
reoccupations were attended with considerable rebuilding and repair-
ing of ancient structures; thus may be accounted for the improved
irrigation system at Puyé, which is a work of the last occupation and
far in advance of anything that was known to the ancient inhabitants
of any part of the plateau.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE RUINS
The ruins of the entire area considered in this bulletin are distributed
in three geographical groups:
I. Ruins of the Pajarito plateau.
II. Ruins of the Chama drainage.
III. Ruins of the Jemez valley.
14 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
I. Ruins OF THE PAJARITO PLATEAU
This name, the Pajarito plateau, proposed by the writer some years
ago and now generally adopted, is applied to the table-land on the
eastern side of the Jemez mountains. The name is usually confined
to the region lying east of the foothills, which is bordered on the east
by the Rio Grande, on the north by the Rio Chama, and on the south by
the Cafiada de Cochitit It is roughly crescent-shaped and is about
fifty miles long with a width varying from ten to fifteen miles. It is
boldly defined on all sides. A considerable portion of the plateau
was covered originally by a sheet of volcanic tufa, varying in thick-
ness from 100 to 1,000 feet. The source of this material was the now
extinct volcanic cones of the Jemez range. Rudely dressed from the
somewhat regular blocks into which it is readily broken, it furnished
a durable and easily worked building material for the primitive inhabit-
ants of the plateau; while caves, both
Se natural and artificial, afforded comfort-
able and secure abodes with the expendi-
ture of but little labor. In considering
the ruins of this area it will be convenient
to defer the description of the succession
of large pueblos which occupy the north-
ern rim of the plateau, including them
with the group situated in the Chama
drainage.
The Pajarito plateau group begins then
with the ruins in the vicinity of Santa
Clara creek (see map, pl. Xv11), a few miles.
west of the Indian village of Santa Clara.
This section was visited and briefly described by Stevenson, Powell,
and Bandelier in the early eighties. It has been made the subject
of numerous popular articles, among which may be mentioned those
of Lummis and Wallace. All the pueblos on the Pajarito plateau
were built of stone. Only the most conspicuous ruins can be pointed
out in this paper. ~ A multitude of ‘‘ small house ’’ pueblos and innumer-
able cliff-dwellings of minor importance are passed without notice.
No. 1. Shufinne (fig. 1).—This is a small pueblo ruin with an
accompanying cliff-village, situated on a high mesa which rises ab-
ruptly above the plateau on the north side of Santa Clara canyon,
about ten miles west of the Santa Clara village. The site is a most
picturesque one, visible in some directions from a distance of twenty-
five miles. The pueblo was rather inferior in construction and is
reduced to low mounds. The cliff-dwellings are quite generally
broken down.
No. 2. Puyé,—This settlement consisted of the large pueblo on the
3
£
a
; ieee
r
|
eo Omer ei rca
Fig. 1.—Ground 7 lan of Shufinne.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 15
top of Puyé mesa (pl. v, 6) and an extensive tributary cliff-village
(pl. v, a). The pueblo was a huge quadrangular structure (fig. 2),
next to Tshirege the largest inthe park. It was the most compact, the
most regular of all the large pueblos. The quadrangle had but one
entrance, this being in the eastern side, near the southeastern corner.
The four sides are so connected as to form practically one structure,
though it is not to be inferred that this was all built at one time. It
presents no new constructive architectural features.
In some rooms of this building there are evidences of occupancy
after once having been abandoned. Doors and windows previously
used are found closed with masonry and plastered over. The last
floor is laid upon a foot or more of débris accumulated upon an original
floor and not removed in the process of remodeling. The pottery
between these two floors is noticeably different from that above the
upper floor. Round kivas, mostly
subterranean, are found both inside geese
and outside the court.
The cliff-village at Puyé was a
very extensive one. The mesa is a
mile and a quarter in length and a
large portion of the south face is
literally honeycombed with dwell-
ings. <A ledge midway up the face
of the cliff divides it into two parts.
In some places the lower part con-
tains three levels of dwellings, the
bottom series being, in many in-
stances, below the talus. The dwell-
ings above the ledge are more
scattered, but are also disposed in
three levels. They are not generally so well constructed as those in
the lower part and are in a more ruinous condition. There is rarely
communication between dwellings in different levels; when such con-
nection exists it appears to be accidental. The porches illustrated in
plate 11, b, were a prevalent feature here. Two round excavated
kivas are found in a ledge in front of the cliff. A number of caves
of unusual size for this locality evidently served the purpose of kivas
for the inhabitants of the cliff-village.
No. 3. Chipiwi.—This is a small pueblo of imperfect quadrangular
form situated on a low mesa about two miles west and a little south of
Puyé. It belongs to the older type of pueblos and was one of several
minor villages, including Shufinne, that are said to have been absorbed
into Puyé. An extensive cliff-village, consisting mainly of open-front
dwellings, occupies the southern exposure of the mesa on which this
pueblo is located.
16 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
No. 4. Navahi.—In the second valley south of the great pueblo
and cliff-village of Puyé is a small pueblo ruin known to the Tewa
Indians as Navahi, this being, as they claim, the original name of the
village. This particular pueblo was well situated for agriculture, |
there being a considerable acreage of tillable land near by, far more
than this small population would have util-
ized. The old trail across the neck of the
mesa to the north is worn hip-deep in the
rock by the attrition of human feet, showing
constant long-continued use. I infer that
here were the fields not only of the people of
Navahit, but also of the more populous set-
tlements beyond the great mesa’to the north,
where tillable land is wanting. The Tewa
Indians assert that the name Navahi re-
fers to the large area of cultivated lands. This suggests an identity
with Navaj6, which Fray Alonso de Benavides, in his Memorial on
New Mexico published in 1630, says signifies ‘‘great planted fields.”
The pueblo is reduced to a mound (sketch plan, fig. 3).¢
No. 5. Pininicangwi (“place of the corn-flour’’ ).—This is a pueblo
considerably smaller than Navaht, situated in the same valley about
a mile and a half farther from the mountains. It was built in the
form of a complete quadrangle with a single opening on the east side
(sketch plan, fig. 4). There was a kiva in the
southeast corner of the court. The village was 50 FEET
situated on a rounded knoll about 100 yards
south of the arroyo.
No. 6. Chupadero.—This does not refer to
any single site, but to a number of cliff-
villages grouped within and about the Chupa-
dero canyon. Here is a great network of
deep gorges affording exceptional facilities for
retreat from enemies. There is no pueblo ruin
of any considerable magnitude in this sec-
tion and the cliff-dwellings, numbering many
hundreds, are of a quite temporary character.
No. 7. Perage—This ruin is not on the
plateau. It is situated on level ground in the valley a few rods from
the west bank of the Rio Grande and a mile west of the Indian
village of San Ildefonso. It is included here because of its relation to
the ruins on the plateau, which rise in huge escarpments of conglom-
erate a half mile to the west.
This is the site occupied by certain clans of the Powhoge (San Ilde-
fonso) Indians prior to removal to their present location, which
Fig. 3.—Ground plan of Navaht.
Fig. 4.—Ground plan of Pinini-
cangwi.
a See Wewett in American Anthropologist, Vv. Vii, no. 1, p. 193, 1906.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU ee
occurred some time before the Spanish invasion. It was the first
valley site occupied by them on coming down from the pueblo and
cliff-villages of Otowi, and illustrates their first efforts in building
entire house-walls of adobe. Prior to this time adobe had been used
ikcnia
Mr ieeiinaiyy “~~
www MAMA Me
LZ NM/ SN UF MieeyM/Z AY LANSH? SAMA ANU onees 2 8
Le oe!
SAS TINNY
4
)
Fie. 5.—Ground plan of Perage.
by them simply as plaster. This village consisted of twelve sections
(see plan, fig. 5), four of which (sec. a, h, k,l) were completely detached,
two (sec. 7, 7) joined together in one building, and the remaining six
(sec. b, ¢, d, e, f, g) connected, forming the main nucleus of the village
8806—No. 32—06——2
18 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
and inclosing two large courts. There are remains of three circular
subterranean kivas in the village. Excavations at the site disclose
no traces of Spanish influence. The pottery is more closely related
to that of Otowi than it is to that of the present San Ildefonso.
No. 8. Otowi.—About five miles west of the point where the Rio
Grande enters White Rock canyon are the remains of the extensive
prehistoric settlement of Otowi. To reach it one ascends the mesa by
following up the Alamo canyon from its confluence with the Guages.
The top of the mesa is reached at the head of that part of Alamo can-
yon known as the Black Gorge. The first canyon entering the Alamo
from the north above this point is Otowi canyon. Following this up
for about two miles, a point is reached where the long narrow potrero
bounding the canyon on the north is entirely cut out for a distance of
nearly a mile, thus throwing into one squarish, open park the width of
two small canyons and the formerly intervening mesa. From the midst
of this little park, roughly a mile square, a view of surpassing beauty
is to be had. Half a mile to the south the huge mesa which is
terminated by Rincon del Pueblo bounds the valley with a high
unbroken line, perhaps 500 feet above the dry arroyo at the bottom.
The same distance to the north is the equally high and more abrupt
Otowi mesa, and east and west an equal distance and to about an
equal height rise the wedge-like terminal buttes which define this
great gap in the middle mesa. Toward the four corners one looks
into beautifully wooded gorges. The whole area is well forested.
The parallel canyons running through this glade are prevented from
forming a confluence by a high ridge, the remnant of the intervening
mesa. Upon the highest point of this ridge is located a large pueblo
ruin which formed the nucleus of the Otowi settlement. In every
direction are clusters of excavated cliff-dwellings of contemporaneous
occupation and on a parallel ridge to the south are the ruins of one
pueblo of considerable size and of seven small ones, all antedating the
main Otowi settlement.
Two types of excavated cliff-dwellings are found at Otowi. The
first (pl. 1, @) is the open-front dwelling, usually, though not always,
single-chambered—in most cases a natural cave enlarged and shaped
by excavation. .
The second type (pl. 1, b) is wholly artificial, with closed front of
the natural rock in situ. Cliff-dwellings of this type are usually mul-
tiple chambered, with floors below the level of the threshold; they
have generally a-crude fireplace beside the doorway, but are seldom
provided with a smoke vent. The rooms are commonly rectangular
and well shaped, with floors plastered always, and walls usually so
to a height of three or four feet. The front walls are from one to two
feet thick. In some cases a little masonry has been used in the form
of casing about the doorways. In a number of instances porches
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 19
were built over the doorways, but nowhere were complete houses
built against the cliff, as at Tshireve.
For the most part the dwellings are found in clusters and at two
general levels, that is, at the top of the long steep slope of the talus,
and again in the face of a second terrace far above the talus and
exceedingly difficult of access.
From about half a mile to a mile above the main pueblo of Otowi is a
cliff-village that is unique. Here is a cluster of conical formations of
white tufa, some of which attain a height of thirty feet (pl. v1).
These are popularly called ‘‘tent rocks.”’ They are full of caves, both
natural and artificial, some of which have been utilized as human
habitations. These dwellings are structurally identical with those
found in the cliffs. They present the appearance of enormous bee-
hives.
Secrion€. SECTION D.
Y xia
Secrion E.
Secrion A.
é ERS
ie MOUND | 3
Fig. 6.—Ground plan of Otowi.
The main pueblo ruin at Otowi differs in plan from any other in
this region (fig. 6). It consists of a cluster of five houses, situated
on sloping ground and connected at one end by a wall, with the excep-
tion of the house marked e on the plan, which was detached. These
were terraced structures, probably almost an exact counterpart of the
present terraced houses at Taos, though perlaps somewhat smaller
and containing a less number of stories. No one of the houses at
Otowi had more than four stories and none fewer than two. The
ground plan here shown is only approximately correct. A drawing
showing the exact alignment of walls can not be made until many tons
of stone are removed. Accordingly some conjectural work was nec-
essary in making the plan. Altogether the five houses contained
about 450 rooms on the ground floor. The number of superimposed
20 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
rooms is largely a matter of conjecture; the writer estimates this at 250,
making a total of about 700 rooms.
There were ten circular kivas at Otowi, all subterranean and outside
of the walls of the buildings with two exceptions (see plan, fig. 6,
sec. a,e). Kivas within the pueblo walls were unusual in the pueblos
of Pajarito plateau. They exist in the great ruin at the base of Peder-
nal peak and are found also in the older and smaller houses.
A reservoir, which doubtless supplied water for drinking purposes
at times, was placed, as was often the case in both ancient and modern
pueblos, so as to receive the drainage from the village.
The traditions of Otowi are fairly well preserved. It was the oldest
village of Powhoge clans of which they have definite traditions at
San Ildefonso. They hold in an mdefinite way that prior to the build-
ing of this village they occupied scattered ‘‘small house’’ ruins on the
adjacent mesas, and they claim that when the mesa life grew unbear-
able from lack of water, and removal to the valley became a necessity,
a detachment from Otowi founded the pueblo of Perage in the valley
on the west side of the Rio Grande about a mile west of their present
village site.
No. 9.—This is a small pueblo ruin in Otowi canyon just across the
arroyo about 300 yards south of Otowi pueblo. It is situated on top
of a narrow ridge which runs parallel with the one on which the large
ruin stands. The stones of the building are smaller and the construc-
tion work is cruder. The building consists of one solid rectangle with
one kiva within the court. Seven other small pueblo ruins or clan
houses are scattered along the same ridge to the west within a distance
of one mile, all apparently belonging to this settlement.
No. 10. Tsankauwi (Tewa, ‘place of the round cactus’’).—About
two miles southeast of Otowi is the ruin of Tsankawi, the most pic-
turesquely situated of any settlement of primitive people ever seen
by the writer, with the exception of Chipiinuinge at the base of Peder-
nal peak. It is a veritable “‘sky city.” From the top of Tsankawi
mesa one looks upon a stupendous panorama—the Jemez range on the
west; on the eastern horizon, a hundred miles of the lofty Santa Fé
range; glimpses of the Rio Grande and its fertile valley through a cleft
some five miles away, beyond which les a dreary sand-waste; and
near at hand in every direction huge yellow volcanic mesas and pro-
found depths of wooded canyons. The site was chosen entirely for
its defensive character and is an exceptionally strong one.
The builders of Tsankawi kept to the orthodox rectangular plan, as
shown in figure 7. The masonry isin no respect different from that of
Otowi. There were ten kivas at Tsankawi—a large number for the
population, which probably never exceeded 300 to 400 people, although
this would be considerably increased if we should count the population
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU yp
of the cliff-village in the south face of the mesa. Tsankawi was a
composite pueblo, consisting of four virtually independent houses.
The ground plan of this pueblo embraces about 200 rooms. The
sections were each probably three stories high. Plate vu, a, illus-
trates the entire development of this village.
Fig. 7.—Ground plan of Tsankawi.
No. 11.—This ruin is situated in Canyon de los Alamos on a high
ridge running parallel with the stream on its south side. It is about
three-quarters of a mile west of Tsankawi and its inhabitants even-
tually merged with the population of that village. The settlement
consisted of one rectangular pueblo of considerable size and a number
of small clan houses scattered along the ridge to the west for about
half a mile. Jt belongs to the older class of ruins.
99 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 22
No. 12.—This is a small pueblo ruin of the older type, situated on a
lower bench just north of Tsankawi mesa, about half a mile south of
the Alamo. The walls are entirely reduced. This site belongs to
the same class and epoch as no. 9 and 11.
No. 18. Sandia.—This village is situated on a high mesa between
the Sandia and Bear canyons and is one of the most commanding
sites in Pajarito park. The pueblo was small, compactly built, form-
ing a complete rectangle (fig. 8). It was
probably two stories high. The regularity of
the structure was broken by the building of
a number of one-story rooms against the east
and north sides. There is one kiva inside the
court. In the face of the mesa to the south
is a cliff-village which includes some of the
finest specimens of this type of cliff-dwelling
within the writer’s personal knowledge. They
ene are unusually well preserved. Many have
Fig. 8—Ground plan of Sandia. the plastered door-casings intact. Some
doorways have wooden casings still in
place.. The rooms are well constructed and conveniently arranged,
and, in connection with anterior, open rooms, the evidences of
which are plain, must have formed commodious and comfortable
homes.
No. 14. Navawi (“place of the hunting trap ’”’).—Beginning about a
mile and a half south of Tsankawi, the aspect of the country changes.
From the Pajarito canyon to Rito de los Frijoles, a distance of perhaps
ten miles, the high abrupt narrow tongue-like mesas protruding toward
the river with broad timbered valleys between are replaced by one
great table-land, the Mesa del Pajarito, which at first sight appears
to be one continuous expanse only partially covered with pifon,
cedar, and juniper. It is, however, deeply cut at frequent intervals
by narrow and absolutely impassable canyons. Toward the northern
limit of this level expanse, about two and a half miles southeast of
Tsankawi, is situated the ruin of Navawi. It belongs to the same
class and epoch as Otowi, Tsankawi, and Tshirege. It consists of two
large buildings about 200 yards apart (fig. 9), several clan houses on
the level mesa near by, and a cliff-village of considerable extent in the
face of the low mesa to the south and west. On the narrow neck of
mesa about 300 yards west of the pueblo, at the convergence of four
trails, is a game-trap (nava) from which the village takes its name.
This is one of a number of pitfalls that have been discovered at points
in this region where game trails converged. One of the best of these
is that at Navawi. It was so placed that game driven down the mesa
from toward the mountains or up the trail from either of two side
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 23
canyons could hardly fail to be entrapped. The trap is an excavation
in the rock which could have been made only with great difficulty, as
the cap of tufa is here quite hard. The pit is bottle-shaped, except
that the mouth is oblong. It is 15 feet deep and about 8 feet in diam-
eter at the bottom. The mouth of the pit is about six feet in length
by four in breadth. This trap has been used in modern times by the
San Ildefonso Indians.
Fic. 9.—Ground plan of Navawi.
No. 15. Tsharege(Tewa, ‘‘a bird;’’ Spanish, pajarito, ‘‘small bird”’) -—
This great ruin is situated on a low bluff on the north side of the Paja-
rito about six miles west of the Rio Grande. It is on the northern
edge of the great Mesa del Pajarito, described in connection. with
Navawi. The possibilities for agriculture in this vicinity were
considerable during the time when the country was adequately
watered.
Tshirege was the largest pueblo in the Pajarito district, and with
the extensive cliff-village clustered about it, the largest aboriginal
settlement, ancient or modern, in the Pueblo region of which the
writer has personal knowledge, with the exception of Zuni. The ruin
shows a ground-plan of upward of 600 rooms (fig. 10). Mr K. M.
Chapman has prepared in water color a restoration of the pueblo with
a small portion of the tributary cliff-village; a photograph of this is
shown in plate m1, a. This is believed to be quite true to history.
Plate vir, b is a map of the entire mesa top on which this ruin is situ-
ated and illustrates the development of a typical pueblo of the pre-
24 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
historic period. There are ten kivas in and about Tshirege (one not
shown in plan), all of the circular subterranean type (see fig. 11). A
Che 5 a ee oe sett <
ee | “ti a ae { ; j sSso -
Fic. 10.—Ground plan of Tshirege.
defensive wall extended from the southwest corner of the main build-
ing to the rim of the cliff 150 feet away. On the face of the cliff
Fic. 11.—Ruins of kiva, or council chamber, Tshirege (from a painting by Chapman).
below is one of the best petroglyphs to be found in the Southwest.
It is a representation of the ‘‘plumed serpent” about seven feet in
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 25
length, etched on the rock by pecking with a stone implement. The
principal cemetery of the village was located in the southwest corner
of the court and many of the excavated rooms in the cliff walls served
as burial vaults.
The cliff-village along the side of the mesa, shown by restoration in
plate 11, a, was the most extensive group of pueblo-like cliff-dwellings
of the kind of which the author has any knowledge. The cluster
extends along the cliff for three-quarters of a mile and represents
accessions from many small pueblos. Tshirege is said to have been
the last of all the villages of Pajarito park to be abandoned. <A
limited supply of water can still be obtained at almost any season at
the spring in the arroyo a quarter of a mile away, and during wet sea-
sons the Pajarito carries a little water past this point. The remains
of a small reservoir (pl. m1, a) are to
be seen on the mesa top a few yards
north of the main ruin.
No. 16.—This is a small ruin con-
sisting of a single quadrangle situated
about three miles west of Tshirege,
just south of the abandoned Buckman
sawmill road. It belongs to the older
class of ruins and presents no features
of especial interest. A short distance -
to the west is a game pit, similar to
the one at Navawi.
No. 17.—In the midst of a beauti-
ful open park, about three miles southeast of the abandoned saw-
mill, is an important ruin (fig. 12) consisting of three compact con-
nected rectangles. No walls are visible above the débris, but on
clearing away the loose stone, well-preserved plastered walls eight
feet in height are disclosed. Numerous small clan houses are.scat-
tered about near by. A few yards to the east is the hollow of a large
kiva in which a fine pine tree is growing (pl. vit, 6). Not far from
this ruin are the remains of a large circular inclosure built of blocks
of tufa set on edge, doubtless an ancient shrine. (PI. xt, ¢.)
No. 18.—Less than a mile west of no. 17 on a high point at the con-
fluence of two very deep gorges is the best-preserved ruin in this
region (pl. 1x, a). The walls stand in places eight feet above the
débris. Great pine trees are growing within the rooms. There is
every evidence that these mesas have been forested since the abandon-
ment of the pueblos (pl. vu, a, 6; pl. 1x, a). This ruin is almost
inaccessible, except from the west. It is not less than 800 feet above
the waters of the Rito del Bravo, which it overlooks. The ground
plan (fig. 13) is very irrégular.
‘ pate a
Fig. 12.—Ground plan of ruin no. 17.
26 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
No. 19 (fig. 14) —A small pueblo ruin in the beautiful wooded park
just south of the Rito del Bravo and a mile north of Rito de los
Frijoles. It presents no features of particular interest. Near by are
Saae : % ae = aus =
yo acegpaeee eter a Sie MSs
Fig. 13.—Ground plan of ruin no. 18.
many small clan houses. One may ride for some miles along this
mesa and never be out of sight of ruins of this class.
No, 20 (fig. 15).—This is about
the largest ruin between Tshirege
and the Rito de los Frijoles, with
the exception of no. 17. It
consists of one compact rectan-
gle. The débris of fallen walls
is perhaps eight feet high. A
large inclosure walled with stone
surrounds the southern and east-
ern sides of the pueblo. This
site overlooks the deep gorge
of the Bravo to the north, and
south a few rods is another
deep canyon. The site is ap-
proached by an ancient trail from the west.
No, 21. Tyuonyi.—When we descend the southern rim of Mesa del
Pajarito into the Rito de los Frijoles, we enter upon what is claimed to
be ancient Keres ground, though its identity as such can not be said
to be established. From here south to Cafiada de Cochiti the country
again assumes the character of that between the Santa Clara and
100 FEET
($0 FEET
Fia. 14.—Ground plan of ruin no. 19.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 27
Pajarito canyons. Here the potreros reach stupendous heights and
the canyons correspondingly great depths. A thorough knowledge of
Indian trails is all that will enable one to penetrate this labyrinth.
For description of the remarkable antiquities from Rito de los Frijoles
to Cafiada de Cochiti the writer can do no better than to quote Mr
A. F. Bandelier, the pioneer archeologist of this region. The pho-
tographs here reproduced were made on the present author’s third
field trip to this section in the summer of 1905. Mr Bandelier
says:%
“From the southern edge of the Ziro-Ka-uash, or Mesa del Paja-
rito, we look down into the Rito as into a narrow valley several miles
long and closed in the west by rocky ledges, over which the stream
descends to the bottom lands of
the Rito. Through these it flows
for several miles as a gushing
brook, enlivened by trout, bor-
dered by thickets of various
kinds of shrubbery, and shaded
at intervals by groves of pine,
and tall, isolated trees of stately
appearance. In the east, not far
from the Rio Grande, a narrow,
frowning gateway is formed by
lofty rocks of black basalt, leav-
ing space for the bed of the
stream, tbe waters of which
reach the river only during
freshets, while in the valley they
are permanent. The slope of the
mesa lining the Rito on the south is gradual, though steep; ledges and
crags of pumice protrude from the shrubs and grass growing over it.
Tall pines crown it above. The average depth of the Rito below
both mesas is several hundred feet; in places, perhaps as much as
500 or more. It is not properly a valley, since its greatest width
hardly attains half a mile, but a gorge or ‘cafion’ with a fertile bottom
and a brook running throughit. . . .
“As seen from the brink of the southern mesa, the view of the
Rito is as surprising as it is picturesque.
“The effect is heightened by the appearance of a great number
of little doorways along the foot of the cliffs, irregularly alternating
with larger cavities indicating caves, the fronts of which have par-
tially or completely crumbled away. The base of the cliffs rises and
1) pan rors OT ICG
WO FEET 60 FEET
ae)
hile) FESEST=
Ce
OF ssgenesn rte
Fig. 15.—Ground plan of ruin no. 20.
a Papers of the Archeological Institute of America, American series, 1V, Final Report, part 1,
p. 139, Cambridge, Mass., 1892. —
28 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
falls, so that the line of caves appears to be at different elevations
and not continuous. There are spaces where the rock has not been
burrowed into; in some places two, in others three tiers of caves
are visible. The whole length of this village of troglodytes is about
2 miles, rather more than less. ;
“The cave dwellings of the Rito are so much like those of the
Pu-yé and Shu-finné that they scarcely need description; the differ-
ences are purely local and accidental. As in the Tehua country,
they have artificial floors, and are whitewashed inside or daubed
over with yellow clay. There are the same types of doorways,
air-holes, and possibly loopholes; the same kind of niches and
recesses; but the cave re at the Rito are the most perfect
seen by me anywhere.
‘“‘T measured nearly every cave through the whole length of the
canon as far as traces of former habitations extended, but must
confine myself to some details only. Against such of the cliffs as
rise vertically and the surface of which is almost smooth, terraced
houses were built, using the rock for a rear wall. Not only are the
holes visible in which the ends of the beams rested that supported
roofs and ceilings, but in one or two places portions of the beams
still protrude. They were round, and of the usual size. Along the
base of these cliffs extends an apron, which was once approximately
leveled, and on this apron the foundations of walls appear in places.
It would seem that a row of houses, one, two, and even three stories
high, leaned against the cliff; and sometimes the upper story con-
sisted of a cave, the lower of a building.
‘Chambers nearly circular, larger in size than the majority of
caves, are also found in the cliffs, some of which have a low projec-
tion around the room like a bench of stone. These were doubtless
estufas, as I was told by one of the Indians who accompanied me to
the spot. There is a distinct estufa not far from the bank of the
brook opposite those caves situated in the upper portion of the
valley, and a smaller one still higher up. Including the four estufas
connected with the pueblo ruins, of which I will speak further on, I
have noticed at least ten such constructions at the Rito.
“Tn describing the Pu-yé, I spoke of the pueblo ruins which lie
on the top of the cliff of that name. At the Rito de los Frijoles
there are at least three similar ruins, but they lie in the river bottom.
Two of them are in front of the caves at a short distance from the
talus sloping up to them. One was a one-house pueblo of the polyg-
onal type, which probably sheltered several hundred people; the
interior court still shows three circular depressions or estufas. The
other, which lies about 60 meters (196 feet) east of it, shows 39 cells
on the ground floor; and 16 meters (23 feet) north of it is an estufa
12 meters in diameter.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 29
“A third ruin, situated nearly a mile farther down the gorge in a
grove of pine trees, formed an L, with a rude stone inclosure on its
north side, and connected with it is a small estufa. It is quite as
much decayed as the large polygon, and the potsherds covering its
surface are similar.” . . .
No. 22. Pueblo of the Yapashi and the Stone Lions.“-—“It requires
several hours of steady walking to reach the upper end of the Potrero
delas Vacas. . . . To the right of the trail yawns the deep chasm
of the Cafiada Honda, from which every word spoken on the brink
re-echoes with wonderful distinctness. Toward the eastern end of the
Potrero the forests begin to thin out and an open space extends until
within half a mile of the rocky pedestal of the San Miguel Mountains.
On this open space stands the ruined pueblo shown on Plate 1, figure
11.” [In this bulletin pl. rx, 6.]
“Tike all other pueblos of this region it is built of blocks of pumice
or tufa, nearly rectangular, but now much worn. I counted 280 cells
on the ground floor and the average size of 126 of them proved to be
4.3 by 2.7 meters (14 by 9 feet). Six estufas aré visible; four inside
the courtyard formed by the houses and two outside. The courtyard
is open to the southeast and the whole forms practically a one-house
pueblo, the buildings of which were at least two stories in height and
in some places three and perhaps four. To the southeast of the ruin
on the edge of the woods stand the remains of an artificial tank. The
pees of this village can not have fallen short of five hundred
30. Sea
“The name a Pueblo of the Yap-a-shi has been applied to the ruin,
but its proper name is still unknown to me, as the designation current
among the people of Cochiti, Tityi finenat Ka-ma Tze-shum-a, signi-
fying literally ‘the old houses above in the north,’ with the addition of
Mo-katsh Zaitsh, or ‘where the panthers lie extended,’ is subsequent to
the abandonment of the village. This name refers to the lifesize
images of pumas or American panthers (also called mountain lions),
which lie a few hundred yards west of the ruin in low woods near the
foot of the cliffs called ‘Potrero de la Cuesta Colorado.’’’ [See pl.
x, a of this bulletin.]
“These remarkable stone peers are cut out of the tufa which con-
stitutes the surface rock of the Potrero de las Vaeas.”’
“The figures attached to the rock are two in number, and ie side by
side, representing the animals as crouching with tails extended, and
their heads pointing to the east. They are much disfigured, especially
the heads.’ Still the natural agencies to which the images have been
exposed in the open air have rounded the edges of the (originally very
a Final Report, part 11, p. 150.
b The act of vandalism was perpetrated by shepherds.
30) BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
uncouth) carvings and increased their life-like appearance. I recog-
nized at a glance when I first saw them in the evening twilight of the
25th of October, 1880, the intention to represent panthers preparing
for a spring. The length of each statue is 1.80 m. (6 feet), of which
0.74 and 0.71 m., respectively (or a little over one-third), make the
extended tails; the height is nearly 0.60 m. (2 feet), and the breadth
varies between 0.35 m. across the shoulders and 0.43 m. across the hips
(14 and 17 inches). The space between the heads and the tails of both
figures measures 0.20 m. (8 inches) and 0.53 m. (22 inches).
“An irregular pentagonal enclosure surrounds the images, made of
large blocks, flags, and slabs of voleanic rock, some of which are set in
the ground like posts, while the majority are piled on each other, so as
to connect the upright pillars. The perimeter of this enclosure is
20.8 m. (68 feet); the height of the tallest post, 1.25 m. (4 feet); and
the length of the longest slab, 1.58 m. (5 feet 2 inches). On the south-
eastern corner is an opening one meter (39 inches) wide, forming the
entrance to a passage lined by two stone hedges like the enclosure,
running out to the southeast to a distance of 5.85 meters (19 feet).
The whole is much disturbed, and its original appearance was cer-
tainly more regular than at present. When I last saw the monument,
it looked like a diminutive and dilapidated Stonehenge.” .
No. 23. La Cueva Pintada (“the painted cave’’), plate x, b. ae the
gorges both north and south of the Potrero are quite a number of
artificial caves. Those on the north, in the Cafada Honda and the
upper part of the Cafion del Alamo, are fairly preserved. The upper
part of that gorge is wooded, and the caves were thus somewhat
sheltered. They offer nothing worthy of special mention, and do not
compare in numbers with the settlement at the Rito. The Queres
say that these caves also are ‘probably’ the work of their ancestors.
Those on the south side of the Potrero de las Vacas are much more
worn, and are connected with the interesting natural rock shelter
called by the Queres Tzek-iat-a-tanyi, and now usually termed
Cueva Pintada or the painted cave. This large cavity measures 17
meters (55 feet) across its entrance, its depth is 14 meters (46 feet),
and at an elevation of 17*meters (55 feet) above the floor is a hemi-
cycle of pictographs painted in red ochre, to which there is an ascent
by means of old and much-worn steps in the rock. The pictographs
represent some of the well-known symbols of the pueblos, such as
clouds, sheet lightning, the sun, dancing-shields, and male and female
dancers. Their execution is very rude. The diameter of this hemi-
cycle is 10 meters (324 feet). Besides these aboriginal daubs, there
are modern ones of equal artistic merit, among which the cross is
prominent. Cave dwellings have been excavated in the rear wall of
the cave, and 15 meters (48 feet) above the floor are indentations
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 31
showing that chambers had also been burrowed out at this height.
The steps therefore may have been made in order to reach this upper
tier of rooms; for it appeared to me that the paintings were more
recent than the cave village, as they are partially painted over walls
of former artificial cells, the coating of which had fallen off before
the pictographs were placed on them.” Most of the cave dwellings
are found on the west side of the Cueva Pintada. Some of them have
two tiers; and there are also traces of foundations in front of the cliff,
showing that houses had been built against the wall. Of the extent
of this cave village it is difficult to judge, but enough is left to indicate
that it may have contained a few hundred people.”’
No. 24. Hadétse—‘‘ Near the foot of the Sierra San Miguel lie the
ruins of the pueblo shown on plate 1, figure 13. It stands on a
bald eminence, from which, as from the Potrero de las Vacas, an exten-
sive view is obtained in all directions except the west and north. The
village consisted of five separate buildings disposed around an open
square and its population must have been at least two hundred souls.
I saw two estufas outside of the square, one of which measured seven,
the other thirteen meters in diameter (23 and 42 feet). Fifty meters
southeast of the ruin lie the remains of a large artificial tank. The
pottery is mostly coarsely glazed, older kinds being rare. This
pueblo the Quieres of Cochiti call Ha-a-tze (earth), which seems to be
its original name.’
No. 25. Stone Lions of Potrero de los Idolos.—‘QOn the open space
are the remains of two images of panthers, similar to those on the
Potrero de las Vacas. One of them is completely destroyed by treas-
ure hunters, who loosened both from the rock by a blast of powder,
and then heaved the ponderous rocks out by means of crowbars.
After breaking one of the figures to pieces, they satisfied themselves
that nothing was buried underneath.
“The other image, although somewhat mutilated, is still in a better
condition than the images on the Potrero de las Vacas, as the rock
out of which it is carved is much harder and has consequently resisted
atmospheric erosion far better. Its size is very nearly that of the two
figures formerly described.
“The imperfections of the sculpture are very apparent; were it not
for the statements of the Indians, who positively assert that the inten-
tion of the makers was to represent a puma, it would be considered to
be a gigantic lizard. Still, there can be‘no doubt that it is Mo-katsh,
the panther fetich of the Shya-yak (or hunters) of some Queres tribe.
There are also the remains of a stone enclosure similar to that on the
Potrero de las Vacas; and a stone post still erect measures 1.32 m.
a] was informed that in former times, whenever a pueblo was abandoned, it was customary to paint
a series of such symbois in some secluded spot near the site of the village. Whether this is true or
not I do not know.
32 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
in height (4 feet 4 inches). A slab lying on the ground near by, and
with one end broken off, is 1.58 m. (5 feet 3 inches) long. Both stones
show marks of having been rudely dressed with stone implements,
but there are no traces of ornamental carvings. A number of smaller
slabs and blocks also lie scattered about.
“There is no pueblo ruin, at least to my knowledge, in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Potrero de los Idolos, and I was repeatedly told
that the Potrero Largo had no traces of antiquities on its summit. But
the ancient Queres pueblo of Kua-pa lies a little over one mile to the
southwest, in the valley or cafiada, and my Indian informants asserted
that the Atte of Kua- “pa fed made the sculptures.”
No. 26. Kuapa.— The ruins of Kua-pa lie about a mile arid a half
lower down the valley than the present Mexican settlement, midway
between the Potrero Viejo and the Potrero de los Ida They
occupy a low bluff between the stream on the north and a dry gulch
on the south, and are very much decayed, many of the mounds being
barely distinguishable. I am positive of the existence of five circular
estufas, but there may be at least two more.
“The ruins of Kua-pa look much more ancient a any of those
on the potreros; but this is due to the material of which they were
built. In place of blocks of tufa, loose rubble and adobe formed the
bulk of its walls. Adobe eee rapidly, and rubble forms
heaps of disorderly rubbish.” ‘
No. 27. Kotyiti—‘The Potrero eee is a natural fortress, almost
as difficult to storm as the well known cliff of Acoma. In case of
necessity, a small tribe could dwell on its top for years without ever
being obliged to descend into the valley beneath; for it is wooded and
has a limited area of tillable soil, and natural tanks. Only from the
rear or southwest is the ascent over a gradual slope; from the front
and the north the trails climb over rocks and rocky débris in full view
of the parapets, natural and artificial, that line the brink of the mesa.
“Two classes of ruins occupy the summit, one of which is the com-
paratively recent pueblo. It is two stories high in some places, very
well preserved, and built of fairly regular parallelopipeds of tufa. The
woodwork in it was eventually destroyed by fire, and much charred
cornis found inthe ruins. Theaverage size of 118 rooms on the ground
floor, which are all in the pueblo with the exception of about ten, is
5.0 by 2.8m. (16 feet 5 inches by 9 feet 2 inches). Thisisa large area
in comparison with the size of older ruins. I noticed but one estufa,
and the pottery bears a recent character.
“There are also traces of older ruins, which mark the existence of
small houses. ;
“The oldest ruins on the mesa, which hardly attract any attention,
are those of a prehistoric Queres Hie the strikingly well preserved
ones are thosc*of a village built after the year 1683, and abandoned in
April, 1694.”
HEWETT ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 33
IJ. Ruts oF THE CHAMA DRAINAGE
The Rio Chama enters the Rio Grande near the Mexican village of
Chamita, about a mile west of the Indian village of San Juan. It
forms the main watershed for all that portion of northern New Mexico
which lies between the Rio Grande and the continental divide. In
this bulletin it is necessary to deal with only the lowest 100 miles of its
course—that is, the portion which traverses the Jemez plateau. Strictly
speaking, the Rio Chama has no valley on the south side. From its
mouth to above Abiquiu it is closely bordered on the south by the
great rim of the volcanic plateau which rises abruptly to a height of
from 200 to 1,000 feet, while on the north there is an open arid valley
broken up by small isolated mesas in the form of truncated cones.
Above Abiquiu the river flows for many miles through a picturesque
gorge. The country on both
sides is rough and broken, that
above the mouth of the Gallinas
being in the nature of ‘bad
f
tems). CPL xr, a, b:) %
The entire area is rich in &
; ; ie
archeological remains. Above ee
Abiquiu are both cliff-dwelling
and pueblo ruins, stone being the
only building material used.
From Abiquiu down, pueblos
only are found. These were
quite numerous, in most cases
of great extent and all built of
adobe with rubble used in the iG eer ie eo ntinne.
foundations. With the excep- .
tion of those at Abiquiu and Chamita, all these are prehistoric. In
describing the antiquities of this watershed, it will be convenient to
consider first, the plateau ruins on the south side of the Chama
between the Rio Grande and Pedernal peak; second, the valley ruins
north of the river up to Abiquiu; third, the ruins above Abiquiu.
A succession of large pueblos occupied commanding sites on the
northern rim of the plateau overlooking the Chama. These will be.
described in the order of their occurrence ascending the river.
No. 28. Pothuwinge (fig. 16).—About four miles above the ccn-
fluence of the Chama with the Rio Grande is the noble cottonwood
grove whose grateful shade has been the noon or evening goal! of every
traveler that has toiled up or down that sandy valley for a century.
At this point a chain of detached fragments of the great Black mesa
(Mesa Canoa) crosses over to the south side of the river and extends
for some miles southwestward. On the top of one of these black
8806—No. 32—06——3
Higley
F20 FEET
34 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
fragmentary mesas about a mile south of the river stood the village
of Poihuuinge. Its ruins are probably 500 feet above the level of the
river. The pueblo was of adobe, with large irregular blocks of basalt
in the foundation. It consisted of three buildings so placed as to form
an irregular quadrangle, the south side being open. The extreme
length of the longest side is 421 feet. There are two circular, subter-
ranean kivas within the court. About 100 yards south of the pueblo
is the ruin of a large circular kiva, 50 feet in diameter, which was in
part subterranean and in part constructed of irregular blocks of basalt,
conglomerate, and sandstone carried above ground to a height of
probably eight or ten feet. About 200 yards east are the ruins of a
building similarly constructed, which bears some evidence of having
been used for a shrine. In this structure large blocks or slabs of stone
set on edge were used in the walls and the general form is that of
shrines still in use among the
Tewa. It is 35 feet in diame-
ter, considerably larger than
any of the shrines now in use.
The pottery of this ruin is strik-
ingly similar to that found in
the ruins farther south. While
there is every evidence of the
‘2 use of corn at this pueblo, there
has been no possibility of agri-
culture in the immediate vicin-
ity. The nearest land that
might have been arable is about
a mile away.
No. 29. Teéuinge (fig. 17).—
This is a large ruin situated on
Fig. 17.—Ground plan of Teéuinge. the rim of the mesa overlooking
the valley, just below the con-
fluence of the Rio Oso with the Chama. It is about a quarter of a mile
south of the river, and the bluff on which it stands is about 200 feet,
high. The pueblo was constructed of adobe with some use of lava
blocks in the foundation walls, and is now reduced to low mounds. It
was built in two large adjoining quadrangles, or would perhaps be better
described as one long rectangle divided by cross walls into two courts.
The extreme length of the rectangle is 525 feet, the extreme width
210 teet. The walls have a perimeter of 1,470 feet. Within and con-
tiguous to the pueblo are ten circular, subterranean kivas and a few
yards to the east is a ruined shrine in circular form, eight feet in diam-
eter, built of lava blocks set on edge.
No. 30, Kwengyauinge (‘blue turquoise house’’), figure 18.—This
is a large pueblo ruin ona conical hill about 150 feet high overlooking
175 YDS.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 35
the Chama river at a point known as ‘‘La Puenta,” about 3 miles below
Abiquiu. It was visited by Yarrow in 1874 and briefly described
by him.“ Some valuable observations are made in his report, though
the present writer finds it impossible to agree with some of the most
important of them. It should be remembered that the latter’s
studies at the site occurred thirty-one years later when the ruin was
in a much more advanced stage of decay, and the probabilities of
inaccuracy were consequently much greater than in Doctor Yarrow’s
time. However, this could not possibly account for the great differ-
ence in dimensions that will be noted on comparing the two plans of
the ruins. The site was visited and described? by Bandelier also in
1880. This pueblo covered a larger area than any other in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Chama, with the exception of site no. 32. In the
opinion of the author it
was an adobe structure
with about the same
amount of rubble in the
foundations that the
modern Tewa use in the
construction of their
houses. Yarrow and
Bandelier represent this
pueblo as exceeding a
single story in height;
Yarrow suggests two,
Bandelier two to three
stories. The amount of
débris does not seem to justify these conclusions with which the writer
of this paper can not agree. The mound is very low and the pueblo
was not built of material that would be carried away by subsequent set-
tlers, as was often done where stone was used. Moreover, the method
of using adobe was the primitive one of increasing the height of wall by
the addition of successive layers of mud held in place by a box-like sup-
_ port of wattle work, two upright parallel surfaces set and fastened just
far enough apart to give the required thickness of wall. Adobe work
of this kind was not sufficiently stable for walls more than one story
high unless made of greater thickness than in the case of any of the
adobe pueblos of this region. In addition to the small amount of
débris the great length of the various sections of this village would
indicate that the builders had not mastered their material to a sufhi-
cient extent to enable them to erect a many-storied building, as they
could do with stone, or even with adobe after learning the art of
making the latter into bricks. An interesting constructive feature
Fic. 18.—Ground plan of Kwengyauinge.
a Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1875, p. 1064.
b Papers of Archeological Institute of America, American series, part 1, p. 56, Cambridge, Mass.,
1884,
36 _ BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
of this pueblo is the one heavy interior wall, forming a central axis
extending through the entire length of the structure, all parallel walls,
including the exterior, and all cross walls being much lighter and in
every way inferior.. Whether there was communication between
apartments on opposite sides of this wall is as yet problematical.
Future excavations may decide that question.
No. 81. Abechiu (Tewa, “the screech of the owl’), figure 19.—This
was an adobe pueblo situated on the lower mesa some three hundred
feet above the Chama. It is just south of the present Mexican town
of Abiquiu. The site is variously known to the Tewa Indians as
Abechiu, Josege, and Muké. This may be owing to the fact that there
have been several distinct. occupations of this village. Its history has
been written by Bandelier. 7
The ruin is now reduced to ae mounds which have been dug over
considerably in a desultory we
No. 32.—On the top of vie see mesa south of the Chama at
Abiquiu are ruins of an
exceptional character.
This is a crescent-shaped
mesa about one-half mile
wide by 14 miles long.
The top is level and
sparsely covered with
short buffalo grass and a
few scrubby pines and
pifions. Its general trend
is from southwest to
nertheast. Beginning at about the center of the mesa and extending
toward the northwest are vestiges of ruins of very great extent. Only
sufficient material remains on the ground to indicate the outlines of the
buildings. This material consists of cobblestones and small lava blocks,
evidently the foundations of very ancient walls. The rooms outlined
vary from 8 to 10 feet wide by from 15 to 20 feet long, the average
being about 9 by 18. In some places these rooms are plainly outlined
by the protruding foundation stones, in others barely distinguishable,
and in still other places fading out entirely. They follow the trend of
the mesa for over 900 yards. One may count the outlines of rooms to
the number of many hundreds. The author ventures the opinion
that not fewer than 2,000 are plainly outlined.
No. 33. Chipiinuinge (Tewa, “house at the pointed peak’’), figure
20.—A great ruined pueblo and cliff-village occupying a small detached
mesa between the Canyones and Polvadera creek, 4 miles south of
Rio Chama and about 14 miles southwest of Abiquiu. The site was
we
N
SML/OMIy WAM dy
Be ae =
QV! Syli/axsilly aul SY RN Nit SR yau silig shee HBTS SINS
Airy SMS Hae YY ,
{WSFA ER PER HAs UST SIRT STEALS ERR RSLS TEI
Fic. 19.—Ground plan of Abechiu.
a Papers of the Archeological Institute of America, American series, part 1, p. 54, Cambridge, Mass.,
1884.
HEWETT| ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU Bae
doubtless selected on account of its defensible character, the pueblo
being situated at least 800 feet above the level of the creek and its
walls built flush with the edge of the precipice. The great Pedernal
peek, from which the village takes its name, rises on the other side of
: ee
fies PB
=
aS
Fig. 20.—Ground plan of Chipiinuinge.
the canyon about 2 miles to the southwest. The pueblo is inaccessible
except bya single trail which winds up from the Polvadera and reaches
the summit of the mesa at its south end, passing thence through two
strongly fortified gaps before the pueblo is reached. The site was
impregnable against any form of-attack possible in savage warfare.
38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
The commanding position was at the gateway to the Tewa country east
of the mountains, and according to tradition it was the function of
Chipiinuinge to withstand as far as possible the raids of enemies com-
ing from the northwest. The pueblo was built entirely of stone and
was of three stories, in places possibly four. Portions of second-story
walls are still standing and many cedar timbers are well preserved.
The remains of 15 kivas (fig. 20, @ to 0), mostly circular, a few rectangu-
lar, are still traceable in and about the ruins. These are all mostly, if
not wholly, subterranean, having been excavated in the rock surface on
which the pueblo stands. The cliff-dwellings in the east face of the
mesa are all of the excavated type and appear to have been used for
mortuary quite as much as for domiciliary purposes.
No. 54, Yugeuinge (fig. 21).—Passing now to the ruins in the valley
north of the Chama, the first to be noticed is that of Yugeuinge, situ-
SHH
ly
PN
iy RN
Fig. 21.—Ground plan of Yugeuinge.
ated on the delta formed by the confluence of the Chama and Rio
Grande. This site is partially occupied by the Mexican village of
Chamita, of especial interest as the first white settlement in New
Mexico, founded in 1598. The ruin now consists of one irregular
quadrangle with large openings on the northwest and southeast. If
the village embraced buildings other than the two great structures
surrounding this quadrangle, they have been entirely obliterated.
This might readily have occurred, as the site is completely surrounded
by cultivated fields. The mounds are so well preserved that the form
of the pueblo is perfectly obvious. It was built of adobe with consid-
erable use of rubble and small bowlders laid in mortar.
No. 35. Poseuinge or Posege—This is the first of a group of large
ruins in the valley of Ojo Caliente, the first northern tributary of the
Chama. The ruin is about 14 miles above the confluence, situated on
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 39
a hill about 140 feet above the Ojo Caliente. It is the largest one of
the group in the valley. The walls are built of adobe with some inter-
calation with slabs of stone. Thirteen circular kivas are to be seen
in connection with this pueblo. The plan here shown (fig. 22) is by
Mr W. H. Holmes.
; ~S /
WANs Maj MS f
a “alhlig SS
150 ft =
2=
==
fea WE
fetuse he a, Mesut =
DS My ANY, YD
f ! be) y WY
: il TAN ALAA TG ld ie s Wy By nN
S y A
SIN i ACTH Ors
= +
= |
Ss
SS
=
nanan
VINO TAINAN
mo?
13
i
y, Wh,
Ying,
», NAA SS
NH eg Gj ES s
‘ville 5
Ye\ WH \\ WS
VEAN\\() ZB iN iy
AVIAN i S
Fic. 22.—Ground plan of Poseuinge or Posege (W. H. Holmes).
No. 36. Homayo (fig. 23).—This is a large, compactly built pueblo
ruin situated on a promontory on the west side of the Ojo Caliente
about a mile and a half above Posege. _ The walls are of adobe about a
foot thick. There are seven kivas in or about the village. These vary
from 30 to 50 feet in diameter and are all of the circular form. This
village is well situated for defense, as it can be approached readily
from the west side only. There is one main plaza or court which
appears to have been completely closed. Attached to this on the east
40 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
are two sections which partially inclose another and smaller court.
Three detached sections stand at a little distance from the main
quadrangle.
No. 37. Howri (fig. 24).—On a low mesa on the east bank of the
creek just opposite Homayo is the ruin of Houiri. Here again is found
one great hollow quadran-
gle closed except at one
corner, another smaller one
inclosed by three detached
buildings, and two entirely
independent sections. The
main quadrangle has a per-
imeter of approximately
1,350 feet. The width of the
sections making up the vil-
lage varies from 25 to 50
feet, the number of rooms
in width being indefinite.
: There are the remains of ten
Fic. 23.—Ground plan of Homayo. circular kivas,ranging from
35 to 50 feet in diameter.
No. 38. Sepawi (fig. 25).—In the valley of El Rito creek about five
miles below the Mexican village of the same name are the ruins of
Sepawi, one of the largest pueblos to be found in the entire area
described in this bulletin. It is now reduced to low rounded mounds.
There is a little woodwork still
to be seen in the débris of the
buildings. Six circular kivas are
visible, one of which was only
partially subterranean. The ki-
vas range from 30 to 55 feet in ae
diameter. The village consists of
one principal structure forming
two incomplete rectangles and
ten detached burldings, so dis-
posed as to form a number of
secondary courts.
No. 39. Cristone and other ru- erate
ins above Abiquiu.—The arche- Fig. 24.—Ground plan of Houiri.
ology of this portion of the
Chama drainage is too little known to attempt at this time a
detailed description of the ruins. It has been known for many
years that this district is rich in remains of antiquity, but the
study of them has been overlooked. The presence of ruins at many
points on both sides of the Chama is reported and here is a splendid
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 4]
field for the investigator. A general idea of the character and extent
of these ruins may be obtained from the report of Prof. E. D. Cope,
paleontologist, in which he gives an account of those in one district,
Gallinas creek, where he was encamped in 1874. I quote at length
from his report:
“My attention was first called to the archeology of the region by
observing that the conic hills just mentioned appeared to be in many
instances crowned with stone structures, which on examination proved
= 2
PI
Seiubonseibel et
to be ruined buildings. These are round or square, with rounded
angles, and from 15 to 25 feet in diameter. The walls are 2 and 3 feet
in diameter, and composed of stones of moderate size, which have been
roughly dressed or built without dressing into solid but net very
closely-fitting masonry. The walls remaining measure from 10 feet
high downward. . . . A building more or less exactly agreeing
with this description was found on the summit of every hill of a conical
form in the vicinity. Their form is probably due to the shape of the
a Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1875, Appendix L L.
49 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
hill, as they were differently built on the level hog-backs. None of the
circular buildings were found to be divided, nor were any traces of such
buildings observed on lower ground. ;
“Tn riding past the foot of the precipice I observed what appeared to
be stone walls crowning its summit. Examination of the ridge dis-
closed the fact that a village, forming a single line of thirty houses,
extended along its narrow crest, twenty-two of them being south of
the causeway and eight north of it. The most southern in situation is
at some distance from the southern extremity of the hog-back.
It is built on the western slope of the rock, a wall of 12 feet in height
supporting it on that side, while the narrow ledge forming the summit
of the ridge is its back wall. It is square, 3.355 meters on a side, and
has a floor leveled with earth and stones. . . . The second house
is immediately adjoining and is surrounded by an independent wall,
that on the lower side of the ridge being still 12 feet in height. The
length of the inclosure is 4.69 meters and the width 2.68 meters; full
sized scrub-oak and sage brush are growing in it. The stumps of two
cedar posts remain, one 5 the other 8 inches in diameter. The third
house adjoins No. 2, but is surrounded by a distinct wall, except at the
back, or side next the precipice, where a ledge of rock commie the
inclosure. The latter is 4.02 meters long.
“Beyond these ruins is an interval of 69 mere. where the summit
of the rock is narrow and smooth. . . . The walls of an oval
building follow, which inclose a space of 4.69 meters. ‘They are 2 to
24 feet in thickness, and stand 8 feet high on the western side; the
eastern wall stands on the sheer edge of the precipice. A building
adjoins, with the dividing-wall common to the preceding house. Its
east and west walls stand on parallel ledges of the sandstone strata.
Diameter of this inclosure 5.37 meters. A space of 15.4
meters follows, with precipices on both sides, when we reach house
No. 6. The eastern wall stands 5 feet high on the summit of the
precipice, from which a stone might be dropped to the ground, per-
haps 350 feet below. Only 8 feet of the western wall remained at the
time of my examination. The inclosure is 6.04 meters long, and not
quite so wide, and is divided transversely by a wall, which cuts off less
than one-third of the apartment. In one of the opposite corners of
the larger room is the stump of a cedar post 5 inches in diameter.
This house can only be reached by climbing over narrow ledges and
steep faces of rock. House No. 7 follows an interval of 42.30 meters.
Its foundation-wall incloses an irregular square space 4.70 meters long
and 3.69 meters wide; it is 11 feet high on the western side, and very
regularly built and well preserved; on the east side it is 8 feet high, and
is interrupted by a doorway of regular form.
“The crest of the ridge is without ruins for 52.34 rap ters farther, then
a building follows whose inclosed space is an irregular circle of 4.70
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 43
meters diameter. A transverse summit-.edge forms its southern wall,
but the remaining portion is remarkably massive, measuring 3 feet in
thickness. Its western wall is 12 feet high, and contains many huge
stones, which four or five men could not lft unaided by machinery.
Several scrub-oaks of 3 inches in diameter grow in this chamber, and
stumps of the cedar posts that supported the roof remain. Here fol-
lows a row of ten similar ruined houses, measuring from 3.35 to 6.24
meters in length. Of these No. 13 is remarkable for containing a
scrub-oak of 13 inches in diameter, the largest that I have seen in the
country, and the species isan abundant one. In No. 14 the remaining
western wall is 15 feet in height. There was a good deal of pottery
lying on the western slope of the rock, but of flint implements and
chips I found but few. All of these ruins contain full-grown sage
bushes. No. 18 is the largest ruin; the length of its inclosure is 8.62
meters, and the width 6.71 meters; its west wall is 6 feet high; the floor
is overgrown with sage of the largest size. This building stood 51
meters from No. 17; 12.80 meters northward the ridge descends
shghtly to the level of the causeway already mentioned. Here are five
more ruined buildings of the same average size as the others, inter-
rupted by but one short interval.
‘From this depression, that part of the hog-back which is north of
the causeway rises abruptly in a perpendicular face. It is composed
principally of two layers of the sandstone, dipping at 45° W., which
are separated by a deep cavity from a point 15 feet from the base
upward. This niche has been appropriated for a habitation, for it is
walled to a height of 8 feet from its base. The foot of the wall is
quite inaccessible, but by climbing round the eastern face of the prec-
ipice a ledge is found at the base of the projecting stratum, which
forms the east wall of the inclosure. This was scaled by means of a
staircase of stones, a number of which were in position at the time of
my visit. The remaining portion of the hog-back is elevated and
smooth, and the foundation stones only of several houses remain.
One of these contain two stout posts, of which.4 feet remain above
ground. The last house is near the end of the ridge, and is bounded by
a wall 10 feet in height, which forms its western side.
“The walls of these houses are built of a mortar of mud, mixed, in
many cases at least, with ashes, judging from the abundant specks of
charcoal which it contains. It is not of good quality, and has weath-
ered much from between the stones. a
“This town I called Cristone. The same hog-back recommences a
little more than a mile to the north, rising to a greater elevation, say
600 or 700 feet above the valley. The east side is perpendicular,
while the dip of the west side is 60°, and sometimes even a higher angle.
On this almost inaccessible crest I could see from the valley the walls
of ruined stone buildings, such as I have just described. . . . In
44 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
the opposite direction I observed a similar ruin on an outlying hill
adjacent to the southern portion of the southern hog-back. This one
is of larger size than any of the others.
“Tn other localities ruined stone buildings occupy the flat summits
of mesa hills of the bad-lands, often in very elevated and well-defended
positions. It was a common observation that the erosion of the faces
of these bluffs had undermined the foundations of the houses, so that
their wall-stones, with the posts, were mingled with the pottery on the
talus below. At one point foundation-walls stand on an isthmus, con-
necting a butte with the mesa, of which a width of 20 feet remains, but
which is furrowed with water channels. Here Eocene fossils and pot-
tery, including a narrow-necked jug, were confusedly mixed together.
At another point the narrow summit of a butte, of nearly 200 feet ele-
ration, is covered with remnants of stone buildings which extend for a
length of 200 yards. The greater part of them had been undermined,
and the stones were lying in quantities on the talus at the time of my
visit. At one end of the line the bases of two rectangular walls, per-
haps of towers, appeared to have been placed as supports to the ter-
race. Very dry cedar posts occur among the ruins, and three such,
standing upright on the summit of the butte, mark a spot as yet
unaffected by the disintegration of the cliff. . . . At a remote
portion of the ruins, on a remaining ledge, I found a square inclosure
formed of stones set on edge, three stones forming each half of the
inclosure. . . . The number of buildings in a square mile of that
region is equal to if not greater than the number now existing in the
more densely populated rural districts of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. . . . In general, I may say that the number of ruins I
found was in direct proportion to the attention I gave the matter;
where I looked for them I invariably found them in suitable
situations.
“Perhaps the most remarkable fact in connection with these ruins
is the remoteness of a large proportion of them from water. They
occur everywhere in the bad-lands to a distance of twenty-five miles
from any terrestrial source of supply.”
-
III. Ruins oF THE JEMEZ VALLEY 4
In the lower Jemez valley there are three inhabited pueblos, Jemez,
Sia, and Santa Ana, and there are perhaps as many as twenty or thirty
deserted sites, situated mostly in the upper valleys, some of which
must have been villages of considerable importance. All are of the
usual pueblo type, differing somewhat from the more northern vil-
lages of like situation, but typical of the middle region, to which they
belong.
a From Notes on the Antiquities of Jemez Valley, New Mexico, by W. H. Holmes. American An-
thropologist, v. 1, ne. 2, April-June, 1905.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 45
The early days of Spanish occupancy of the Jemez country, 1540
to 1700, witnessed many stirring events of conquest, revolt, and recon-
quest, end numerous interesting details culled from the Spanish chron-
icles 2re given by Bandelier in his Final Report. The Jemez pueblos
were first visited by the Spaniards under Francisco de Barrionuevo
in 1541. Onate, in 1598, saw eight villages, and others were men-
tioned to him. Bandeliersaysthat at the time of his visits in 1880-1885
the Jemez gave him the names of seventeen of the old pueblos. He
believes that the numerous small villages were gradually consolidated
into two, and finally into one—
the present pueblo. ¢ tt UNE Milf) yy,
No. 40.—About half a mile f in cee M0 ayy Z
below the village of Jemez are \\\ Min Ss ni NHI gi ony =
two anciently inhabited sites ue ve:
that show no distinctly marked Pan uh a
architectural remains, but the % leet RS
ground is strewn with various
minor relics. No specimen was
found that suggested Spanish
influence, and all varieties could
be duplicated from the more
northern sites where Spanish
influence was never felt. . All
other sites visited in the valley
exhibit in different degrees traces
of modern pueblo influence if not AMINA yy
of the presence of the Spaniard. Y
. . . One of the sites is on
the low east bank of the ereek Fie. 26.—Ground plan of ruined pueblo three miles
west of Jemez.
near the water’s edge, and the
other on the western side nearly opposite. Similar traces marking
other ancient sites are found in various parts of the valley, and
probably represent the exclusively prehistoric occupancy.
No. 41.—On a partially isolated bit of mesa about three miles west
of Jemez is a considerable ruin, which does not bear evidence, how-
ever, of long continued occupancy. The summit of the mesa is with-
out trees and almost without soil, and water must have been obtained
from far below. The walls of the ruin are well defined, and stand in
places five or six feet in height; but they are formed of rough, loosely
laid stones, and are extremely thin and unstable. They could not
have been high at any time, as there is a marked absence of débris, and
the dearth of pottery and kitchen refuse would seem to stamp the
place as a temporary or emergency abode. The site is favorable for
_ aA.F. Bandelier, in Papers of the Archeological Institute of America, Amer. series, lV, Final Report
part 1, p. 208, Cambridge, Mass., 1892.
46 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
defense, and there are traces of defensive walls along the margin of
the summit. The buildings are irregular in plan and comprise three
eroups, the full length of the groups being about 450 feet and the
width 350 feet.* A sketch plan is given in figure 26. . . . There
appears to be no definite historic reference to this site.
No. 42.—Two unimportant ruined structures occur three and a haif
miles northeast of Jemez pueblo, on a bluff overlooking Vallecito
creek (fig. 27). They are rather unpretentious piles, and by their
advanced state of decay would seem to have been long deserted. There
are no positive indications of occupancy by post-Spanish inhabitants.
Fragments of the archaic varieties of pottery occur, and the
usual forms of stone implements. The lower ruin, a, about 150 feet
above the creek level, is squarish in outline, and is about 175 by 180
feet in extent. It incloses a court in which a shallow circular depres-
AN MN ayy,
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NUH SL?)
S
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WZ
yi Uist ny
aii
S
ES
Aaa
cnn
iii
Sv gst LAE
wnn"”y
Wray yi
qui! Vian,
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(ey
Zam
ROOMS
pvenanuryrnt
ree
=F
WV ETNA M777) nite
Sinton, &, =
See es +S
© HAVEL LRT ELLA = a >
=e = Thing, Miia wie
AWipi va nitggnii WNIT
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ts, antic DOTA TEE LAANS
te
z
Fig. 27.—Ground plan of ruined pueblo on Vallecito creek.
sion occurs. The ridges of débris are four or five feet in height and
two or three rooms in width. The upper structure, b, is about 150 by
200 feet in extent, and embodies two courts. The walls are very
much reduced.
No. 43. Patokwa.—Two ruined pueblos, extremely interesting on
account of their connection with the events of the Spanish conquest,
are found at the confluence of the two main branches of Jemez creek,
six miles above the present Jemez pueblo. One is on a low mesa
point between the two streams, and the other occupies the end of the
great mesa several hundred feet above. The lower site (fig. 28, a) is
one that would naturally be selected for residence by primitive peo-
ples, and may well have been a principal pueblo of the valley in pre-
Spanish times. One portion of the ruin is a large mound of débris
from which the larger stones have been removed. This represents
the prehistoric town. The other portion is in a much better state of
preservation, and consists of lines of fallen house rows surrounding
two great courts. That this structure is of late date is clearly indi-
cated, not only by its state of preservation but by the presence at one
corner of the ruins of a Catholic church.
aThe measurements given in this [Erotesser Holmes’) paper are all mere estimates, and the orien-
tations are only approximate.
-
~I
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 4
No. 44. Astialakwa.—An interesting group of ruined buildings is
situated on the high and almost inaccessible promontory, a mesa rem-
nant, overlooking the ruin at the confluence of the east and west
branches of Jemez creek, just described. The ruins stand a short dis-
tance back from the front of the promontory and near the brink of the
cliffs on the west side (fig. 28, b). The walls are of unhewn stone, and
_bear “evidence of hurried and apparently incomplete construction,
there being a notable absence of débris of any kind. Traces of mortar
occur in the walls, and a little plaster still remains on the interior sur-
faces. The walls are in no place more than five or six feet in height.
The buildings are in a number of groups, as indicated roughly in the
sketch. . . . There can be little doubt that this village was
built at the period of Spanish encroachment by the people of the vil-
lages below as a place of refuge and defense, and it was here, accord-
ing to historical accounts, that they were defeated by the Spaniards
and compelled to descend to the lowlands.
iy yard ys My iy "yy,
MUG, 5
aria us Vy
Hin iN iin,ga els
wy iy yi rw
a YT TTNS
att yn
Fic. 28.—Ground plan of a, Patokwa, and 3, Astialakwa.
It is an interesting fact that along the margins of the precipice are
traces of defensive works built of stone. ,
No. 45. Giusewa.—A ruined pueblo of considerable importance is
situated at Jemez Hot Springs, twelve miles above Jemez pueblo. At
present the chief feature of interest on this site is the ruin of a Spanish
church, with its heavy walls and fortress-like tower. It has been con-
structed of materials derived from the immediate vicinity. The tower
and upper parts are of the impure friable limestones of the promon-
tory against which the foundations are built. The lower end of the
church and the walled enclosure extend down to the border of the
arroyo, and the latter has been built of heterogeneous materials. The
adobe mortar has been made from the débris of ancient house sites and
is full of fragments of pottery, obsidian chips, and charcoal.
48 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
Bandelier says that this pueblo “‘ formed several hollow quadrangles
at least two stories high. It contained about eight hundred inhabi-
tants. The church is a solid edifice, the walls of which are erect to
the height of ten or fifteen feet, and in places nearly eight feet thick.
It is not as large as the one at Pecos, and behind it, connected with
the choir by a passage, rises an octagonal tower, manifestly erected
for safety and defense. Nothing is left of the so-called ‘convent’ but
foundations. The eastern houses of the pueblo nearly touch the
western walls of the church, and from this structure the village and a
portion of the valley could be overlooked, and the sides of the mesas
easily scanned. Ginsewa [Giusewa] is an historical ‘pueblo. It first
appears under the name of Guimzique in 1626. It seems that it was
abandoned in 1622, on account of the persistent hostility of the Nava-
jos, who had succeeded in scattering the Jemez tribes. In 1627 Fray
Martin de Arvide obtained permission
~ from his superior, the custodian Fray
j Alonzo de Benavides, to attempt to gather
the tribe again in its old home. The
efforts of the monk were successful, and
the Jemez Indians settled in two of their
former pueblos—at Ginsewa and at
Amoxiumqua.’’ 4
No. 46. Amoxiumqua.—On the high
mesa overlooking Jemez Hot Springs on
the west are the remains of another large
and ancient pueblo, which is reached by
a tedious and very precipitous trail. The
ruin, a sketch plan of which is given
in figure 29, stands in an open space
: in the forest, about a quarter of a mile
Fie. 2-—Ground plan of Amozi- from the brink of the “canyon,=aqeqanaam
umqua. f E
its walls a glimpse can be had of the lower
valley of Jemezcreek. Itislarger than any of the ruins in the valley
below, and appears to represent two periods of occupancy, an ancient
or pre-Spanish one, and a more modern one, probably of the Spanish
period, the later village having been built upon the ruins of the earlier.
Bandelier states’ that Amoxiumqua was abandoned previous to 1680.
In the accompanying sketch plan (fig. 29) the old town, which is a
mere heap of débris and quite limited in extent, is indicated by a stip-
pled or dotted surface. The newer construction consists of a series of
connected ridges, two or three rooms*in width, and from a few feet to
eight or ten feet in height. Some of the room interiors are exposed
and still retain the coatings of plaster, and the ceilings are of logs with
: 2 ywpiuwuinwwundyinge ==
= Miya
AD,
E7TNS
a Final Report, pp. 204-205. bIbid., p. 208.
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 49
transverse layers of brush or splinters to support the earthen cover-
ing. The stones of the walls, which have been derived from the cliffs
in the vicinity, are rather even in size, and have been in cases slightly
caressed on the outer surface. The length of the ruin from northeast
to southwest is about 350 yards; and the greatest width is some 200
yards. The rows of ruined buildings have a wiath of from 20 to 30
feet. Seven circular kiva-like depressions are associated with the
ruin. Six of these are approximately 20 feet in diameter, and the
sixth, a part of the encircling wall of which is intact, is 32 feet in diam-
eter. On the side opposite the canyon is a large depression, 150 feet
in diameter and five or six feet deep, which contains a pool of water,
and was undoubtedly used as a reservoir.
No. 47.—Another ruined pueblo of large size Send comparatively
well preserved is situated in an open space in the forest on the sum-
mit of a spur of the plateau overlooking the canyon of the first north-
ern tributary of the west fork of Jemez creek and some two miles west
of the great ruin (Amoxiumqua) overlooking Jemez~ Hot Springs
This ruin was seen from the opposite side of the canyon, but lack of
time forbade an attempt to visit it.
No. 48.—A ruin of more than usual interest is situated on the west
bank of San Diego creek, about 15 miles above Jemez pueblo. At the
base of the low terrace on which this ruin stands, and between its base
and the creek, the Survey camp was established. Two ravines rising
close together in the plateau, face to the west, separate as they approach
the creek bed, leaving a somewhat triangular terrace remnant with
gently sloping surface, on which the ruin is situated. This terrace ct
the lower margin is about 50 feet in height and 150 yards long, and is
perhaps 100 yards deep to the base of the steep slope on the west.
The ruin includes one principal centrally-placed group of structures
and four or five inferior structures, as indicated on the ground plan
(fig. 30). The central group, a, consists of two wings of unequal
length and from 30 to 60 feet in width, connected at the upper end by
a transverse group of razed chambers. The length of the longer wing
is about 320 feet, and of the other about 150 feet. The mass of cébris
indicates the outline of the buildings with perfect clearness and is in
places 10 feet in height. The chambers were numerous and irregular
in arrangement, but the state of the ruin is such as to make the details
of the plan difficult to trace. At the upper’end of the intramural
space is a kiva depression 20 feet in diameter and two or three feet
ceep; and at the lower end, near the ecge of the terrace and next the
wall of the longer wing, is another of like diameter and about four
feet in depth. On the opposite side, against the wall of the shorter
wing, is‘a stone heap some 10 feet in diameter and a few feet in height.
North of the longer wing of the central structure, 40 feet distant, and
extending along the northern margin of the terrace, is a ruin, b, some
8806—No. 32—06——4
50 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 32
30 feet wide and 150 feet in length, and in places six feet in height,
presenting characters in the main identical with those of the central
structure. In the space between the two clusters is a third circular
depression, corresponding in size with those previously mentioned.
Higher up the sloping terrace on the northern margin is a small ruin
mass, c, very much reduced. On the south, separated from the corner
of the shorter wing of the main building by a space about 10 feet in
width, is a fourth ruin mass, d, about 40 feet in width by 120 feet in
length, the lower end of which extends well down to the margin of the
terrace. Its features correspond closely with those of the other struc-
tures. South of this again, and 20 feet away on the narrow point of
7
Zain
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li,
@
SALTZ ULL
Muy
See nea =
oS Sid £2 Zain
i “amine >,
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SS eae Z, C7 Wy, = Bi: Ss Wy \\ \/y ZAIN
wSF Si : Zuamvymuvyyrnnis A) AY | H WA init
Ss TAT ALTTNNN SAE
mA iq a HANS FN pra tNwnnt Zep AMET
GQ Hf AN My ATTA) MUN ira
0 OG surnvey CAMP
Saha!
Fic. 30.—Ground plan of ruined pueblo 15 miles above Jemez.
the terrace, are the remains of a minor structure, inclosing a kiva
depression 30 feet in diameter and about 4 feet in depth; and below
this, again, is another circular depression 36 feet in diameter and 5
feet in depth, with which no ruins are connected. Still lower down
and at the extreme point of the terrace, 80 feet from the depression
just described, is a small ruin mass about 12 feet square and of no
considerable height.
An interesting feature of this pueblo is the occurrence of three or
four refuse middens, lying on the slope of the terrace near the walls of
the buildings. These consist of blackish earth with many impurities,
including bones of animals, fragments of pottery, and various imple-
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU 51
ments of stone. On these heaps were growing dwarfish wild potato
plants, the tubers, although ripe, not being more than half an inch in
diameter. This ruin presents every appearance of antiquity, and, so
far as observed, contains no definite trace of the presence of the white
man. The feilen roof timbers, which still remain among the débris
in some of the chambers, had cna cut with primitive tools. é
No. 49.—Sixteen erilae above Jemez pueblo, occupying a low slop-
ing terrace on the west side of the valley and 30 or 40 yards from the
creek, is a small pueblo group, of usual type (fig. 31). It is about 40
feet above the creek bed and covers a space some 50 yards long, facing
the stream, and 50 yards deep, reaching back to the steeper ground.
The low crumbling walls of small irregular stones indicate a squarish
structure of numerous rooms,
including an open space or court, == =F) AANA i | \S
in which are two circular depres- == 7, Zip iM i HIS:
sions, probably the remains of “anya itng 1
kivas. A third depression occurs
in the midst of the ruined walls
on the north side. ee
Scattered stone lodges —An ©) OF z
important feature of the antiq- Te
uities of Jemez valley is the ruins
of small stone houses that are
encountered by the explorer at Fig. 31.—Ground Dee ae pueblo 16 miles
every turn in the tributary val- ‘
leys, on the steep slopes of the plateaus, and scattered over the
upper surfaces of the wooded tablelands. In the foothills they are
seen sometimes occupying very precipitous sites, and in riding
through the deep forests of the uplands they may be counted by
the score. They consist generally of a single room, rarely of two
or more rooms, and the dimensions of the apartments seldom
exceed ten or twelve feet. The walls are thin and loosely laid up,
and to-day are rarely more than three or four feet in height, the
dearth of débris indicating that they could not have been more than
one story in height at any time. . . . These houses occur in
considerable numbers in the valley of the San Diego near the great
bend, 20 miles above Jemez pueblo; in the vicinity of the warm
springs, a few miles above the bend; on the’ plateau east of Jemez
springs; and along the terrace-like projections of the western slope of
the canyon wall. .
The existence of other important ruins exceptionally well preserved
has been reported from the high Valle Grande and San Antonio valley
on the eastern rim of the Jemez basin; also from the foothills of the
Nacimiento range on the upper Guadalupe.
“i
SS
GI MANTA NST WN
2 TVA NATR
HAW WN
METALS
yy BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL, 32
MINOR REMAINS OF ANTIQUITY
From the foregoing account it is seen that the archeological remains
of the Jemez plateau are very numerous and of great interest and
scientific value. The village-sites of the ancient inhabitants, with all
the accessories of sedentary village life, such as kivas, shrines, burial
places, fields, irrigation works, lookouts, stairways, and trails, with the
vast number of scattered and isolated cliff-dwellings and small
pueblos, not forming aggregations that could be called villages, pre-
serve a complete picture of the ancient life of the Southwest. Buried
under the débris of buildings and in the graves of the dead are various
artifacts of stone, bone, wood, fiber, and clay (pl. x11, x11), displaying
the simple industries and domestic life of the inhabitants. These,
together with ceremonial objects, as pipes, fetiches, medicine stones,
etc. (pl. xvi), with the symbolic ornamentation of domestic and
mortuary pottery (pl. xiv, xv), yield important data relative to the
social and religious life of the time. A few illustrations of these
various artifacts are included herewith.
> The pottery of the region consists mainly of food bowls, preserved to
us through the symbolic act of placing food with the dead. But little
is found in the houses.
The pottery found consists of the following varieties:
A. Coiled and indented ware, plate xiv, a.
B. Smooth undecorated ware, plate xIv, c.
C. Incised ware, plate xrv, d.
D. Polished decorated ware, plate xtv, e.
KE. Polished decorated ware, red with glazed ornament, plate xrv, b.
Of class A little is found, and this is mostly in fragmentary condi-
tion. The pottery of this class was used principally for cooking ves-
sels, some of which were very large. Of class B but little is found.
Class C is still more rare. Seventy-five per cent of all the pottery is of
classes D and E. This, as before mentioned, consists principally of
food bowls, varying from four to sixteen inches in diameter and in
practically all cases having both interior and exterior decorations. A
few small ollas are found. The clay used was not of first-rate quality.
It contained a considerable amount of fine sand and the product was of
a rather porous character and quite thick and heavy. Many excep-
tions to this condition are found, however, in which a much finer clay
had been obtained and prepared with great care, making an excellent
paste and permitting the construction of fine thin ware. It is notice-
able that all pottery of class D is of superior make.
The aboriginal potters had considerable knowledge of colors and
handled them with good effect in decoration. Yellow and gray
ware was always decorated with black lines (pl. xv). Red ware was
almost invariably decorated with black and red lines and with a salt
HEWETT] ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEMEZ PLATEAU Ba
glaze (pl. xv, e, f,h). Four shades of red were used, two shades of
this color being often applied to the same bowl. The system of orna-
mentation was bold and striking, and in execution ranges from very
crude to very good. Representative motives were sparingly used. In
at least 90 per cent of all the decorative work a highly developed sym-
bolism is found. Certain symbolic motives are very persistent, dis-
playing many variants, but capable of being reduced to a few funda-
mental conceptions (pl. xv, a, b, d).
THE PRIVILEGE OF EXCAVATION
This presentation of the antiquities of the Jemez plateau is neces-
sarily incomplete, since there are many sites yet unexplored, but
it is hoped that the sketch here given will lend encouragement to
further exploration and serve as a nucleus around which additional
information may be systematically arranged as gathered from time
to time. It should be borne in mind that these ruins are mostly
on the Jemez forest reserve, and that excavations on the forest
reserves are strictly forbidden unless authorized by the Secretary of
Agriculture. The majority of ruins not situated on the forest reserves
are on the Indian reservations and public lands, and can be disturbed
only by permission of the Secretary of the Interior.
APPENDIX A
AN ACT for the preservation of American antiquities,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America
in Congress assembled, That any person who shall appropriate, excavate, injure, or
destroy any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument, or any object of antiquity,
situated on lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States, with-
out the permission of the Secretary of the Department of the Government haying
jurisdiction over the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall, upon convie-
tion, be fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for a
period of not more than ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in
the discretion of the court.
Src. 2. That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discre-
tion, to declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric
structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated upon the
lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be national
monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof parcels of land, the limits of which in
all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and
management of the objects to be protected: Provided, That when such objects are
situated upon a tract covered by a bona fide unperfected claim or held in private
ownership, the tract, or so much thereof as may be necessary for the proper care and
management of the object, may be relinquished to the Government, and the Secre-
tary of the Interior is hereby authorized to accept the relinquishment of such tracts
in behalf of the Government of the United States.
Sec. 3. That permits for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archzeological
sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity upon the lands under their-respective
jurisdictions may be granted by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and War
to institutions which they may deem properly qualified to conduct such examination,
excavation, or gathering, subject to such rules and regulations as they may prescribe:
Provided, That the examinations, excavations, and gatherings are undertaken for the
benefit of reputable museums, universities, colleges, or other recognized scientific or
educational institutions, with a view to increasing the knowledge of such objects, and
that the gatherings shall be made for permanent preservation in public museums.
Sec. 4. That the Secretaries of the Departments aforesaid shall make and publish
from time to time uniform rules and regulations for the purpose of carrying out the
provisions of this Act.
Approved, June 8, 1906.
54
APPENDIX B
SPECIMEN RECORD FOR CARD CATALOGUE OF Runs AND OTHER ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
CATALOGUE OF ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES
Srarr, New Mexico. Map, Pajarito park. Sits, No. 6.
Cuass, Pueblo and cliff-village.
Name, Tshirege.
Location: DratnaGce, Rio Grande. Pajarito canyon.
County, Santa Fe. TownsHie19N. Rance7 E.
Section. Unsurveyed reservation. Jemez forest reserve.
This site occupies a low mesa about 15 miles west of the Rio Grande, 10 miles
southwest of San Ildefonso pueblo. Can be reached by wagoén road from San
Ildefonso to Alamo canyon, thence by trail remainder of distance. Ruins may
be seen from abandoned sawmill road 6 miles west of Buckman. This road was
formerly much traveled, and the ruins suffered greatly from vandalism. Build-
dings not seriously injured, but burial mounds much disturbed.
Large pueblo on top and extensive cliff-village (cavate type) in south face of
mesa. My work at this site consisted of the exploration of the principal ceme-
tery, southeast corner of the pueblo; the excavation of one kiva, and of 14 rooms
in the pueblo; also of one burial crypt in south face of mesa. Map of mesa,
ground plan of pueblo, numerous sketches and photographs made.
Collections secured as follows:
Skeletal remains, 75 individuals.
Pottery, 340 specimens, in part fragmentary.
Bone implements, 23.
Stone implements, 96.
Miscellaneous, 85.
All collections were sent to the museum of the New Mexico Normal University,
Las Vegas, except skeletal remains, which were forwarded to the U. 8.-National
Museum. Photographs, sketches, maps, plans, etc., also in Normal University
museum.
This is an enormous ruin, and the work done represents but a small part of
what is necessary to complete the investigation of the site. So far as prosecuted,
however, the work is finished and fully recorded.
Results of expedition to be published in preliminary form in the American
Anthropologist.
(Signed) Ep@ar L. Hewerr.
SEPTEMBER, 1900.
|
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BULLETIN 382 PLATE II
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
ENTRANCES TO EXCAVATED CLIFF-DWELLINGS
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE Ill
@ RESTORATION OF TSHIREGE PUEBLO
b RESTORATION OF CLIFF-DWELLINGS, TSHIREGE
had
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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE IV
ae a
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PETROGLYPHS ON THE PUYE CLIFFS, PAJARITO PARK
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE V
@ CLIFF-VILLAGE OF PUYE
b RUINS OF PUYE PUEBLO
~
——
Ts
a -
- Pi
Pea :
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE VI
TENT-ROCK CLIFF-DWELLINGS NEAR OTOWI CANYON
ee
TRANS! elas be <
BU BULLETIN 32 PLATE VII
.
Z, sm
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“ScMOUND = _“ECLIFF
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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE VIII
TREES GROWING IN RUINS OF (@) PUEBLO AND (jp) KIVA
| : alll. i
TRANSFER RRED TO. tess
BULLETIN 32 PLATE IX
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
18
@ RUIN NO.
b PUEBLO OF YAPASHI
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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE X
b LA CUEVA PINTADA (THE PAINTED CAVE)
rh om ae OF 4 4 t+ 2 ne i oar a ae : ¢ ‘ « y .
q ‘9
MuVd OLIViVd ‘YIOANSSSY SO SNINU P WMuVd OLIVET Vd ‘SNIMHS 3O SNINY 2 SGNV1 Gvd SVNITIVS @
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BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE XIl
TYPES OF ARTIFACTS OF STONE
a,b Hatchets; ¢ hammer; d maul; e, f metate and mano; g, / obsidian flakes
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE XIII
TYPES OF ARTIFACTS OF BONE, SHELL, ETC.
a, b, c, d Bone whistles; e, f, g, h bone awls; i, j, k, / pendants of shell
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE XIV
ad e
TYPES OF POTTERY
a Coiled ware; b bowl with glazed decoration; ¢ smooth black undecorated ware; d incised
ware; e polished decorated ware
KS i
TRANS! ah RED TO
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE Xv
MORTUARY POTTERY
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 32 PLATE XVI
CEREMONIAL OBJECTS
a War god; 6 mountain lion fetich; c, d fire stones; ¢ f medicine stones; g, h ceremonial pipes
3 TRANSFERRED T i
;
JEMEZ PLATEAU
NEW, MEXICO
ARCHAEOLOGICAL MAP
© Forest Reserve Boundary
—-tand Grant Boundary
%2 inhabited Pueblo
® important Puebdto Ruin
Minor Pueblo Ru
== CIT Dwelling:
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iii
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