Fire Temple is one of the most remarkable cliff houses in the park, if
not in the whole Southwest. It is situated in a shallow cave in the
north wall of Fewkes Canyon, near its head, and can readily be seen
from the road along the southwest rim of the canyon. This ruin was
formerly called Painted House, but when it was excavated in May 1920
evidence was obtained that it was a specialized building and not a
habitation. The facts brought to light point to the theory that it was
consecrated to the fire cult, one of the most ancient forms of
worship.
The ruin is rectangular in form, almost completely filling the whole
of its shallow cave, and the walls of the rooms extend to the roof. A
ground plan shows a central court 50 feet long and about 25 feet
broad, flanked at each end with massive-walled buildings two stories
high. The walls of these rooms are well constructed, plastered red and
white within and on the side turned to the court. The white plaster is
adorned with symbolic figures. The beams used in the construction of
the ceiling of the lower room are missing, but the walls show clearly
that the structure was formerly two stories high. No beams were used
in the construction of the floors, the lower story having been filled
in with fragments of rocks on which was plastered a good adobe floor.
The court or plaza was bounded by a low wall on the south side, the
buildings enclosing the east and west ends, where there was a
banquette. The north side of the court was formed by the solid rocks
of the cliff, but on the lower part a narrow masonry wall had been
laid up about head high, projecting from the cliff a foot and less on
the top. The wall was formerly plastered red below and white above,
triangular figures and zigzag markings recalling symbols of lightning
on the line of the junction of the red and white surfaces.
In the center of the court on a well-hardened adobe floor there is a
circular walled fire pit containing an abundance of ashes, and on
either side of it are foundations of small rectangular structures. The
function of the rectangular enclosures, lying one on each side of the
fire pit, is unknown. The middle room of the lowest tier of rooms just
west of the main court has a number of painted symbols and zoormorphic
figures upon its walls. These paintings, in red, still remain in a
fair state of preservation, and consist of five symbols, supposedly of
fire, and many pictures of mountain sheep and other animals.
Just west of Fire Temple there is a group of rooms which were
evidently habitations, since household utensils were found in them.
One of these rooms has in the floor a vertical shaft which opens
outside the house walls like a ventilator. The former use of this
structure is unknown. Although the Fire Temple was not inhabited,
there were undoubtedly dwellings nearby.