In the construction of houses it is believed that women did much work,
certainly the plastering, and possibly the laying of stones in mortar.
Men must have helped with the heavier "hod-carrying," timber-lifting,
etc. Women also took care of household duties, made the pottery, and
helped with the farming. The men did the hunting, weaving, and farming,
and took care of the religious ceremonies and duties. As with their
descendants, the historic and present day Pueblo Indians, they were
probably matrilineal, that is, the children followed the mother's clan.
[Illustration: _Fremont Barberry_]
Please note the small opening above the door. The fireplace was built
near the center of the room and the smoke escaped through this hole. The
T-shaped doorway gave access to the room, and was easily covered during
cold weather with a skin, mat, or slab of rock. Each room may have
housed a family of four or five. They built terraces, in front of each
set of rooms, which served as door steps. The rooms may seem small, but
most of the every-day hours were spent outside, and they perhaps used
the houses only for cooking and sleeping during inclement weather.
[Illustration: _Ruin and Balanced Rock_]
The hollowed-out stone you see against the wall is a metate
(meh-TAH-tay) or corn grinding stone.