It is impossible to make even a close estimate of the number of ruins in
this 21-to-50-room group. They are to be found in all the canyons and
only an exhaustive survey will reveal the actual number. Perhaps there
are a hundred of them—probably many more.
As one explores the canyons and enters more and more of the ruins a
surprising fact becomes evident. Ruins which at first glance seem small
can turn up a surprising number of rooms. A distant view across a canyon
may reveal only a few broken walls. Upon gaining access to the cave,
perhaps by swinging down on a long rope, the first glance still reveals
little. Then, as the ruin is studied carefully, it begins to grow.
The only evidence of a three or four story structure may be rows of
small holes in the cliff where the ends of roof beams once rested. A
thin line of plaster running up the cliff may be the only indication of
a high plastered structure that once stood there. Sometimes, fifteen or
twenty feet up on a cave wall, a bright red spot may be seen on the
sandstone. This is mute evidence that a structure once stood there for
the red discoloration of the sandstone was caused by a small cooking
fire that once burned on a third or fourth story roof.
Thus the difficulty of estimating the number of ruins of any particular
size is evident. In all probability, not half of the canyons have been
explored to any extent by archeologists. Perhaps not more than one-third
of the cliff dwellings, especially the small high ones, have been
entered by anyone since the days of the early cowboys.
A great deal of exploration and careful study will be necessary before
the actual archeological wealth of the Mesa Verde will be known.
[Illustration: Balcony House
Balcony House, shown here, is an excellent example of the medium-sized
cliff dwellings. In size it is near the top of the group for it contains
two kivas and about forty-five rooms. In several respects Balcony House
is one of the outstanding ruins and is the favorite with most visitors.
Its location on the face of the cliff gave it outstanding defensive
possibilities. The only entrance was a narrow ledge that ran about 400
feet along the face of the cliff. At one point the trail passed through
a narrow crevice. This the Indians blocked with high walls and final
access to the village was through a narrow crawl tunnel.
The outstanding feature of this ruin is an excellent spring in the back
of the cave. With this supply of water and their strong defenses, the
people had little to fear from enemy raiders.]
Below are four ruins that fall in the medium-sized group. They contain
from twenty-five to forty rooms and are typical of the scores of ruins
of this size that are to be found in the many canyons. In some of the
ruins pictured few structures remain standing but careful search reveals
evidence of the many rooms that have disappeared. These were once
bustling little agricultural towns of a few dozen people. Without doubt
the peaceful farmers prized the security of their high-flung villages.
As more and more of the ruins are entered and studied, one fact becomes
increasingly evident. Of the entire population of the Mesa Verde,
relatively few people lived in the larger cliff dwellings. For every
cliff dwelling of more than fifty rooms there were scores of smaller
villages.
The larger towns may have been important centers in some respects. They
no doubt offered excellent trading possibilities for the men from the
small towns. Perhaps a man from one of the small villages had a fine
tanned buckskin that he wished to trade for jewelry. Certainly his best
business opportunities would have been in one of the larger towns like
Long House or Cliff Palace. When an important ceremony was held in one
of the big communities, probably men flocked in from all the nearby
small villages to enjoy the event. They came not only to view the public
portions of the ceremony but to participate in the feasting, gossiping,
trading and gambling that accompanied it.
If the large communities were important to the people of the small towns
it probably was only in the ways mentioned above. They did not look to
them for leadership for certainly there was no union among the people.
Probably there were never more than a few thousand Pueblo Indians in the
Mesa Verde at any one time. They lived in hundreds of more or less
independent villages. While some of these villages seem large and
impressive today, they may have had little real importance in ancient
times for only a small percentage of the people lived in them. The bulk
of the population was in the hundreds of small towns each of which was
an independent community that contained no more than a few dozen people.
[Illustration: This unnamed cliff dwelling has few standing walls.
There are definite indications, however, of more than twenty-five
rooms.]
[Illustration: Buzzard House.
Although this ruin has little protection from the elements, several
structures are in good condition. It was once a village of about
twenty-five rooms with one or more kivas at the foot of the cliff.]
[Illustration: Daniel’s House.
This is one of the highest cliff dwellings of the Mesa Verde. The
cowboys were unable to get into it and it was finally entered for the
first time by park service men in 1915. A large collection of artifacts
was ample indication that the early explorers had not been in the ruin.
This probably was the cliff dwelling referred to by John Wetherill when
he stated that there was one he and his brothers were never able to
reach. The ladder dates from 1915, and is no longer safe for use.]
[Illustration: This unnamed cliff dwelling once contained forty or
forty-five rooms. It had excellent defensive possibilities for in
times of trouble the upper section could have sheltered all the
people of the village. Carved inscriptions in this ruin indicate
that early explorers entered it as early as 1884.]