larger scale, and in more tedious ways, a repetition of the proceedings
in the case of _B_. The results are as follows, starting from the line
_f f_ northwards: The space comprised between the corners (_e_, _e_,
_f_, _f_) forms a rectangle, containing 18 longitudinal rows of 6 rooms
each. These rows are all on the same level, except the most easterly
one, which lies on the slope. The cells, as far as measured and still
measurable, appear to be of the same size in length, namely, 2.87 m.--9
ft. 6 in.,--and their widths are respectively from W. to E., or 2.83 m.,
2.00 m., 3.14 m., 2.70 m., 2.53 m., and 2.53 m.--9 ft., 6 ft. 6 in., 10
ft., 9 ft., 8 ft., and 8 ft. The whole area is therefore 51.66 m. x
15.73 m.--170 ft. x 51 ft. Still, I believe that a sensible narrowing
(possibly of nearly 2.0 m.--6 ft. 6 in.--) may have taken place up to
_ee_; but this is compensated by the strengthening of the corners,
which there are rounded outwards, so that the line _e e_ presents about
the same length as _f f_. Thereupon follows the open passage _E_, which
is 3.40 m.--11 ft. wide, and north of it a rectangle of 3 longitudinal
rows of 3 apartments, _two_ of which rows are on the eastern slope. The
width of the rooms appears to be the same as that in the former section,
whereas their length from N. to S. is respectively 6.10 m., 4.27 m., and
5.44 m.--20 ft., 14 ft., and 18 ft. It is therefore a rectangle of 15.81
m. x 15.73 m.--51 ft. x 51 ft. North of it is an open space marked C,
3.13 m.--10 ft.--wide, in which I could detect no longitudinal
partition, except one closing its western outlet towards the court. I
have therefore left it an open question, and marked it as an alley or
corridor. It may yet prove to have contained six rooms on the ground;
but, as this is uncertain, the rooms that may have existed are not
included in the computation of cells. North of the line _b b_ begins the
section _a B b b_, which is very badly ruined. This forms also the
north-east angle of the whole building, and whose northern line (_a B_)
shows the partitions of six chambers, each 2 m.--6 ft. 6 in. wide, each
one indicating a longitudinal row of 4 rooms, respectively 2.83 m.--9
ft.--each from N. to S. It would indicate a rectangle of 11.32 m. x
12.00 m.--37 ft. x 40 ft. Of its six rows of rooms, three are on the
slope.
From _a_ to A extends the main northern wall of the structure. It is
very strong, .78 m.--2 ft. 6 in.--wide, and constructed as follows, Pl.
V., Fig. IX.:--
_a_, the outer wall, is 0.33 m.--13 in.--wide.
_b_, filling of mud, is 0.17 m.--6 in.--wide (this filling is both earth
and gravel).
_c_, inner wall, is 0.28 m.--11 in.--wide.
The width of the inner wall being the average thickness of all the other
walls in the whole house, the suggestion is not improbable that it was
built first, and the outer one, which is made of larger stones, added
subsequently for additional strength, and the interstice filled up as
the work rose.
The line _a A_ is 17.28 m.--56 ft.--long. From _A_ it runs down to the
south for 8.10 m.--27 ft.--, thence east, 17.28 m.--56 ft.--, to connect
with the north-east corner of the eastern wing. It thus forms an aisle,
and at the same time closes the court to the north. A rectangle of 8.10
m. x 17.28--27 ft. x 56 ft.--consists of 4 longitudinal sections of 3
rooms each, which, while their length is uniformly 2.70 m.--9 ft.--(from
N. to S.), have widths from W. to E. of 5.46 m., 3.18 m., and 3.62
m.--18 ft., 10 ft., and 12 ft. All the rooms are on the same level, and
they are the largest and best preserved of any in the entire area of
ruins. Room _I_ has even an unimpaired roof.
The north wall of _a A_ stands out boldly on the highest crest of the
_mesilla_. Below it northwards, a small hill of stones, from which
timbers occasionally protrude, forms a tumbled and confused slope of
inextricable ruin; and beyond this slope there extend the foundations of
walls on the level _mesilla_ up to 10 m.--33 ft.--from the northern
transverse part of the general circumvallation, which there is 45
m.--148 ft.--from _a A_, and 30 m.--100 ft.--long from W. to E. It thus
appears that the building _A_ had its northern annex as well as the
house _B_. To this annex I shall hereafter return.
West of line _A n_ there runs alongside of it the interesting gateway
_G_, 2 m.--6 ft. 6 in.--wide, its bottom somewhat higher than the floor
of the adjoining rooms,[118] and forming, as before stated, the
north-westerly entrance to the great inner court. It is perfectly
straight on the east as far as _r_; but then a heavy bank of stones and
gravel starts out like a lower continuation of the wall _a A_, and winds
down, curving, till close to the western circumvallation on the edge of
the _mesilla_. It thus forms a northern embankment to the gateway.
Almost parallel to it, on the opposite side of _n r_, the conical
mound or tower H constitutes the western and southern wall of the
passage _G_. This passage is therefore nearly semicircular. It is level
from _n_ to _r_, and thence descends steeply towards the edge of the
_mesilla_.
[Illustration: PLATE X
VIEW OF PASSAGE G, BUILDING A, FROM THE NORTH.]
The mound _H_ describes about two-thirds of a circle. Its base at the
south is 6 m.--20 ft.--from E. to W.; its diameter, 6.85 m.--23 ft; its
actual height, about 1.5 m.--5 ft. It is conical, and appears to be a
round heap of earth and rocks encased with neat and judicious piling of
well-selected stones. This naturally gave the stone-work a slanting
surface; the higher it reaches, however, the more it becomes vertical,
until at last it juts out above the surface of the mound like a circular
breastwork, or a hollow round tower on a conical base. I refer to Pl. X.
for an excellent view of its vertical aspect and structure. This mound,
or tower, while it commands an extensive view to the west, north, and
even north-east, is also the most northerly "spur" of the western wing
of the great house _A_. This wing extends in an unbroken length of 62
m.--203 ft.--from the base line of _H_ to the entrance _N_, and is
divided into 3 transverse sections, all connected, and all having 3
longitudinal rows of rooms or cells. The width of each cell is the same
in every section, to wit, from E. to W. 2.58 m., 2.58 m., and 3.22 m.--8
ft. 6 in., 8 ft. 6 in., and 10 ft. 6 in., respectively.
Section _k l l m_ has 3 x 5 apartments; in length from N. to S., 2.51
m., 3.86 m., 2.35 m., 3.71 m., and 3.72 m.--8 ft., 13 ft., 8 ft., 12
ft., and 12 ft. It was therefore 16.15 m. x 8.38 m.--53 ft. x 27 ft.
Probably all the ground-floor cells were on the same level.
Section _l l h h_ has 3 x 12 apartments, each 2.53 m.--8 ft.--long.
Consequently, it was a rectangle of 30.36 m. x 8.38 m.--100 ft. x 27 ft.
The eastern row of chambers was on the slope.
Section _h h N_ 3 x 4 long, respectively 2.77 m.--9 ft. each, therefore
10.98 m. x 8.38 m.--36 ft. x 27 ft. There were two eastern rows on the
slope.
This entire wing (forming a rectangle of 62 m. x 8.38 m.--203 ft. x 27
ft., if we add to the spaces given the thicknesses of the transverse
partitions, this time not included in the measures) has given me more
trouble than the rest of _A_ and _B_ combined. Nowhere are the walls so
twisted and out of range as here. Besides, there is an unfinished air
about it that is almost bewildering. The height of the stories does not
agree with that of the other sections,--the western wing would be one
story lower. Furthermore, it contains in several places squared beams of
wood inserted in the stone-work lengthwise. These beams (of which there
is also one in the opposite wing similarly embedded) are identical and
apparently of the same age with the (not sculptured) beams still found
in and about the old church. Entire walls of chambers, or rather sides,
appear to be new; the mud or adobe is fresh, whereas almost everywhere
else it has disappeared, out of the crevices even; the stones are almost
laid in courses. As I shall hereafter relate, there are at several
places adobe walls, the adobe containing wheat-straw! And all this right
among chambers showing sides as uncouth and old as any of the pueblo,
though still as high as their more recent and better preserved
neighbors. Here there is evidently patchwork of later date, and
patchwork executed with material unknown to the Indians previous to the
advent of the Spaniards. I am even convinced that it was done after
1680; for the beams evidently came from the church or the convent, which
buildings we know were sacked and fired by the Indians in the month of
August of that year. If this conclusion be correct, the south-western
part of _A_, its entire westerly wall, was somehow destroyed after 1680,
and partly rebuilt with materials unknown to the Indians at the time
when Pecos was first erected.
I say partly, because there is evidence that the western wing, from _H_
to _N_, was originally much broader. As it now appears, the wall _m h_
presents itself as the western line of the structure. But there are,
still further out, although distinctly connected with it, remains of
buildings which were at least attached to it. These are the ruined
enclosures designated on the ground-plan by _I_, _K_, and _L_.
Nothing besides foundations, heaps of stones defining corners, and
upright posts protruding along the western limits of _L_ and _K_ inside,
remain of these structures. _L L_ are of the size of the ordinary
chambers; _K K_ are four times larger. Their interior shows no partition
whatever: the soil is level, somewhat depressed in the centre of each
apartment; and on the whole they present very much the same appearance
as those structures on the "neck," which lie to the west of B, but are
not connected with the latter. Besides, the enclosures are on a lower
level than the two rows of rooms immediately east of the wall _m N_.
This wall itself is a double wall, each single one being of the size of
the ordinary partition; the total width is therefore 0.56 m.--22
in.,--as proven by actual measurement. The idea is therefore
suggested--very naturally--that the entire western wing of the building
_A_ was originally a double house,[119] terraced both towards the east
and the west. In sketching the cross-sections, I have taken due notice
of this very probable, if not positive, fact.
The double wall _m N_ shows no trace of lateral passages. It therefore
divides the whole structure from _H_ to _N_ into two longitudinal
sections. The western one, from _o_ to _p_, consisted of but one row of
5 rooms; from _p_ to _N_ it had two rows of 16 chambers each. The
ground slopes still further to the S. and S.W. outside of the
trapezoidal enclosures, _I I_, and is covered with _debris_; so that I
presume that, from _ll_ to _N_, there was an additional row of 3 rooms
on the outside. The entire division was at one time very completely
razed to the ground, so that its owners never attempted to rebuild it
after the original plan.
The western division was also badly damaged in its southern half, but
the damage was subsequently repaired with the aid of material and
mechanical arts postdating the Spanish conquest of New Mexico. Pl. V.,
Fig. 3, gives a view of the western end, along the line _h h_.
I would recall here the fact already noticed, that the northern part of
building _B_ is also mended in places with adobes of the same make as
those used in repairing the western wing of _A_, and that, while the
squared beams are wanting, the stone-work there in places appears also
of a more recent date. The suggestion may therefore not be uncalled for,
that the same destroying power which spent its main force on _A_,
distinct from the general decay, and moving in a direction from S.W. to
N. E., reflected or glanced off upon the northern portions of _B_. This
question will, however, be discussed hereafter.
The annexes _I I_ are trapezoidal enclosures of stone-work as high as a
man's breast, and respectively of the sizes indicated on the
ground-plan. The northern one is divided lengthwise into two
compartments; the southern is open to the south. Both appear to be new
and unfinished. From the centre of the last one protrude two
well-squared heavy timbers. These timbers are in a singularly unfit
position; they cannot be accounted for, and convey the impression that
they were carried hither from some other totally different construction.
They look almost forlorn. Whence they came, and for what purpose they
were brought,--what was the object in erecting the enclosures _I I_,--I
do not intend to speculate upon, unless they are recently constructed
store-rooms ("Almacenas").
Across the passage-way _N_, both southward from the line _g g_ and
eastward from _I_, fitting into it to the east and barring access to the
great court from the "neck," lies the south wing of _A_,--a rectangle of
27.25 m.--90 ft.--from W. to E., and 13 m.--43 ft.--from N. to S.,
including the walls. It is much decayed and overturned; the northern
side is far less so than the southern; nowhere are there any signs of
repairs. Here the rows of rooms must be taken transversely (from W. to
E.). There are 5, each with 7 chambers, measuring in succession from N.
to S. 2.00 m., 2.00 m., 3.09 m., 2.40 m., and 2.00 m.--6 ft. 6 in., 6
ft. 6 in., 10 ft., 8 ft., and 6 ft. 6 in; and from W. to E. 3.61 m.--12
ft. each. Two of these transverse rows appear to be on the southern
slope, and three on the upper level towards the court.
Here I have again reached the passage-way _R_, my original point of
departure. Before entering into an examination of the other particulars
of the building, as well as of its annexes and surroundings, I shall
make once more a rapid circuit, to give an idea of its size, and also
attempt a rude computation of the number of rooms it contained.
Lengths of the eastern
wing from _f_ to
_B_ (E. side N. and
S.) 51.66 m.--170 ft.
3.40 m.-- 12 ft.
15.81 m.-- 52 ft.
3.13 m.-- 10 ft.
11.32 m.-- 37 ft.
7.84 m.-- 25 ft.
-----------------
Adding 28 walls a 0.28
m.--11 in., total 93.16 m.--306 ft.
_Brought forward_ 93.16 m.--306 ft.
Lengths of the north
side from _B_ to _a_ 12.00 m.-- 40 ft.
from _a_ to _A_ 17.28 m.-- 57 ft.
6 transverse walls a .28
m.--11 in. 1.68 m.-- 6 ft.
----------------
30.96 m.--102 ft.
Length from _A_ to _n_ 8.10 m.-- 27 ft.
_n_ to _m_ 8.38 m.-- 27 ft.
_m_ to _o_ 2.51 m.-- 8 ft.
_o_ to W. corner of _L_
(estimated) 5.00 m.-- 16 ft.
W. corner of _L_. to _p_ 16.17 m.-- 53 ft.
_p_ to _y_ 2.10 m.-- 7 ft.
_y_, southward, to line
_g g_ 33.44 m.--110 ft.
passage-way N .00 m.-- 6 ft. 6 in.
Width of western section
of W. wing
(about) 7.48 m.-- 25 ft.
Length of south wing 13.00 m.-- 43 ft.
28 transverse walls a
.28 m.--11 in. 7.84 m.-- 26 ft.
----------------
106.02 m.--348 ft. 6 in.
Width of S. wing 27.25 m.-- 90 ft.
Passage _R_ 4.00 m.-- 13 ft.
From _R_ to _f_ (about) 4.00 m.-- 13 ft.
Line _f f_ 15.73 m.-- 52 ft.
8 longitudinal walls a
.28 m.--11 in. 2.24 m.-- 7 ft.
----------------
Total length to _f_, my
point of departure 53.22 m.--175 ft.
------------------
Entire length of circuit
of building _A_ 283.36 m.--928 ft.
Adding to this 15 m.--49 ft.--for the probable periphery of mound _H_,
and 64 m.--210 ft.--for the perimeter of a southern annex to the south
wing, which I have not yet described, we reach a perimeter of 362
m.--1,190 ft.--in all. Comparing these figures with those given about
the great ruins of the Rio Chaco by Dr. W. H. Jackson,[120] and of the
pueblo of Las Animas River by my friend the Hon. L. H. Morgan,[121] it
will be seen that this building, _A_, at Pecos is probably the largest
aboriginal structure of stone within the United States so far described,
and that it will even bear comparison with many of the aboriginal ruins
of Mexico and Central America.[122]
The size of the interior court can now be easily determined. It is 64
m.--210 ft.--from N. to S., and 19.28 m.--63 ft.--from E. to W. Its area
covers therefore 1,235 sq. m.--13,230 sq. ft.,--or about one fourth of
an acre; whereas the entire _debris_, measured as well as possible,
scatter over more than two acres of ground.
For the computation of the number of rooms in the whole pile,
cross-sections are necessary. (Pl. V., Figs. 1-8.) The height of each
story is about the same as in _B_, to wit, 2.28 m.--7 ft. 6 in.
Fig. 1, section of west wing about _l l_, from west to east.
Fig. 2, lines _b b_ and _a B_.
Fig. 3, section of west wing along _h h_.
Fig. 4, line _d d_, north, up to south line of _C_.
Fig. 5, section of west wing along line _g g_.
Fig. 6, line _f f_, southern boundary of east wing, and for the
entire rectangle up to _E_.
Fig. 7, cross-section of north wing, line _A n_, from north to
south.
Fig. 8, south wing, from north to south.
It is possible that the second row, from S. to N., had two superposed
chambers, but I am not positive of it, and therefore do not include it
in the computation of rooms which will follow.
[Illustration: PLATE V
SECTIONS OF BUILDING A.]
It will be seen that, according to the ground plan and sections, the
east wing had five stories, the north wing two, the west wing
successively two, three, and four, and the south wing four. Looking at
the buildings from the great court, the south presented an unbroken
front of a two-story wall, the east successively walls of four,
three, and two stories; the north side formed two, and the west side,
from north to south, in succession, two, three, and four terraces. In
this manner, not only was the building remarkably well accommodated to
the great irregularities of the surface, but even a tolerably uniform
height was attained, well agreeing, therefore, with the description of
"Cicuye," as Castaneda saw it in 1540. "The houses have four stories,
terraced roofs all of the same height, along which one can make the
circuit of the entire village without meeting any street to intercept
the passage.[123] Here we must remember that the widest gateway is 4
m.--13 ft.--wide,--an expanse easily spanned by common beams used by the
Indians in their house architecture.
An attempt to compute the number of rooms in _A_ results as follows:--
Rectangle _f f e e_, 18 longitudinal rows of 6 rooms and 5 stories.
1st story 18
2d story 5 x 18 90
3d story 4 x 18 72
4th story 3 x 18 54
5th story 2 x 18 36
--- 270 rooms.
(_d d c c_) 1st story and 2d story on the slope,
and 3 rooms per row.
1st story 3
2d story 3
3d story 4 x 3 12
4th story 3 x 3 9
5th story 2 x 3 6
-- 33 "
---------
_Carried forward_ 303 rooms.
_Brought forward_ 303 rooms.
(_b b a B_) 6 rows of 4 rooms, and 3 stories on
the slope.
1st, 2d, and 3d story, each 4 12
4th story 3 x 4 12
5th story 2 x 4 8
-- 32 "
(North wing) 2 stories, easily computed as 20 "
(_k m l l_) 1st story 5 x 4 20
2d story 5 x 2 10
-- 30 "
(_l l h h K_) Lowest story 12
2d story 12 x 4 48
3d story 12 x 2 24
-- 84 "
(_h h K g g I_) Lowest story 4
2d story 4
3d story 4 x 4 16
4th story 4 x 2 8
-- 32 "
(South wing) From E. to W.
Lowest story 7
2d story 7
3d story 7 x 3 21
4th story 7 x 2 14
-- 49 "
Adding for the southern annex a probable number of 35 "
---------
Building _A_ contained in all not less than 585 cells.
Turning now to the inside of the building itself, I am compelled to
acknowledge here an important omission in my survey of _B_. It relates
to the vertical connection of the walls. They are all, with few
exceptions, as far as their dilapidated condition admits of observation,
continuous from bottom to top; that is, the sides were everywhere
carried up above the ceiling (or floor), and then, after the beams had
been embedded in the stones, another wall was piled up on it as
straight as possible. In this manner it became possible to add each
cell separately.
There are several doors visible in _A_, as marked on the ground-plan.
Those in the eastern and western wings open from east to west, those in
the northern wing from north to south; therefore transversely to the
length of each structure. But I have also seen longitudinal walls
without passages. The tops of the doors are all gone; the rest is
everywhere similar to the sample found in _B_, and already figured. In
some cases even the sills are gone. Windows I could not find, nor
trap-doors or ladders; there was no trace of steps, and, unfortunately,
no clew to any chimney or vent. Of furniture I secured pieces of new
hearth-stones; of other articles, broken "metates," part of a fine maul
of stone, flint chips, celts, stone skin-scrapers, and, of course,
painted pottery and obsidian. But not one specimen is entire; every
striking implement, etc., has been carried off by amateurs, of whose
presence besides broken beer bottles, with the inscription
"Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co., St. Louis, Mo.," give occasional notice.
Room _I_, in the S.W. corner of the north wing is very well preserved:
so well, indeed, that it is nearly certain that there was no entrance to
it from above. On the contrary, the entrance appears to have been from
the front, as shown in Pl. VIII., where this room stands in full view.
It is perfectly plain inside; eight posts of wood, round, and stripped
of all bark, support the ceiling and roof, whose composition I have
elsewhere described. These posts (which are also shown in Pl. VIII.) are
so distributed as to have one in each corner, and two between, on each
longer side of the room. In the S.E. quarter of the ceiling the
splinters covering the rafters or poles are removed, and fresh straw (or
rather very well preserved) protrudes, as having formed a layer with the
brush. I was at first inclined to take it for wheat-straw, but other
parties insisted that it was mountain grass. For the latter it appears
to be very long, and it has a marked head. I have not, as yet, seen any
wheat-plants grown at these elevations.[124]
Otherwise this chamber appears nearly perfect. In the middle of the
north wall a hole is knocked out, but the two coats of plaster (dark and
white) are almost everywhere preserved. Great interest attaches to this
apartment, from the fact that, according to Sr. Mariano Ruiz, the sacred
embers ("braza") were kept here until 1840, in which year the five last
remaining families of Pecos Indians removed to their cognates at Jemez,
and the "sacred fire" disappeared with them. Sr. Ruiz is good authority
on that point, since, as a member of the tribe[125] ("hijo del pueblo"),
he was asked to perform his duty by attending to the embers one year. He
refused, for reasons which I shall hereafter state. The facts--that the
fire was kept in a sort of closed oven, and that the front opening
existed--made it unnecessary to search for any other conduit for smoke
and ventilation. The fire was kept covered, and not permitted to flame.
I now come to one of the most interesting features of the court,--the
three circular depressions marked _P_ on the diagram. Two of them are in
the N. E. corner,--the northern one close to the northern wing, and the
other 2.65 m.--9 ft.--to the S. S. E. of it. Both are perfect circles,
and each has a diameter of 7.70 m.--25 ft. In the S.W. corner, near to
the passage _N_, is the third, with a diameter of only 6 m.--20 ft. They
look like shallow basins, encased by a rim of stone-work piled up in the
usual way, and forming a wall of nearly 0.35 m.--14 in.--in thickness.
This wall is sunk into the ground, but at the northern basin it
certainly, as former excavations plainly show, did not reach the depth
of 1 metre; and it appears that at about that depth there were flat
stones laid, like a rough stone floor. These basins were the "Estufas,"
or council chambers, where, as late as 1840, the meetings of the poor
remnants of the tribe were still held. Although an adopted son of Pecos,
Sr. Ruiz was never permitted to enter the Estufa. Across the northern
one a very large and very old tree, nearly 0.75 m.--2 ft. 6 in.--in
diameter, is lying obliquely. Its thick end is towards the N.E. wall. It
looks as if uprooted and fallen upon the ruins. But how could a tree of
such dimensions ever have grown there? Again, for what purpose, and how,
could the Indians of Pecos have carried it hither?
Outside of the building _A_, the narrow ledge separating its rubbish
from the eastern wall of circumvallation, a rim 150 m.--192 ft.--long by
32 m.--105 ft.--wide at the south, and 12 m.--40 ft.--at the north,
shows the basins _D_ and _F_, respectively 10 m.--33 ft.--and 8 m.--26
ft.--in diameter. They hug the rock of the _mesilla_ very closely, and
look completely like the estufas in the court. These buildings,
according to Sr. Epifanio Vigil, of Santa Fe, were barns or store-houses
(round towers 10 to 11 feet high), in which the Indians preserved their
gathered crops, forage, etc. Still, it is not unlikely that they were
tanks, built for collecting rain-water.
On the south side of the eastern wing, and so close to it that the heaps
of rubbish touch, are two circular depressions surrounded by large
masses of stones. They are marked S S on the plan. Their shape and size
cannot be accurately determined, and their object is unknown.
[Illustration: PLATE VIII
INTERIOR OF BUILDING A, FROM THE SOUTH.]