The ruins in Northern Mexico, including New Mexico and Arizona, consist
chiefly, as already stated, of the remains of structures similar in
general design and purpose to those of the Village Indians, the Pueblos.
In the more ancient times, doubtless, as at present, a large proportion
of the dwellings and other edifices, like those in the Mississippi
Valley, were built of perishable materials which have left no trace.
Many of them, however, were built of stone, and have left ruins which
show their character. Stone ruins are common in this northern region,
although wood and adobe seems to have been more commonly used as
building material. Some of the ruined stone edifices were inhabited when
the country was conquered by the Spaniards. The remains present every
where the same characteristics. They represent a people who built always
in the same way, with some variations in the forms of their structures,
and had substantially the same condition of life; but the ruins are not
all of the same age. Their character can be sufficiently shown by
describing a few of them.
In New Mexico, west of the Rio Grande, between the head waters of the
San Jose and Zuni rivers, a bluff or ridge rises in a valley two hundred
feet high. The Spaniards named it "El Moro." One side of this bluff is
vertical, and shows yellowish-white sandstone rock, on the face of which
are inscriptions; "Spanish inscriptions and Indian hieroglyphics." It
was carefully described in 1849 by Lieutenant Simpson, and was explored
again four or five years later by Lieutenant A. W. Whipple, who
described it in his report to the government, published in the third
volume of "Explorations and Surveys for a Railroad Route to the
Pacific." On the summit of this height, which Lieutenant Simpson named
"Inscription Rock," are the ruins of an extensive Pueblo edifice built
of stone. The walls were built "with considerable skill." In some places
they are still "perfect to the height of six or eight feet, vertical,
straight, and smooth; and the masonry is well executed, the stones being
of uniform size--about fourteen inches long and six wide." The layers
are horizontal, each successive layer breaking joints with that below
it. Remains of cedar beams were discovered, and also obsidian
arrow-heads, painted pottery, and other relics. Another ruin was seen on
a height across the gorge. It was found to be similar to this, both in
character and condition of decay.
Lieutenant Whipple went westward along the thirty-fifth parallel. We can
not do better than follow the report of what he saw.
[Illustration: Fig. 20.--Pueblo Ruin at Pecos.]
His next stopping-place, after leaving "El Moro," was in the beautiful
valley of Ojo Pescado. Here, close by a spring that showed artificial
stone-work of ancient date, were two old Pueblo buildings in ruins, "so
ancient that the traditions of present races do not reach them." Not far
away is a deserted town of later date. The two ancient structures were
circular in form and equal in size, each being about eight hundred feet
in circumference. They were built of stone, but the walls have crumbled
and become chiefly heaps of rubbish. The pottery found here, like that
at "El Moro," is "painted with bright colors, in checks, bands, and
wavy stripes; many fragments show a beautiful polish. A few pieces were
discovered larger in size, inferior in color and quality, but indicating
a more fanciful taste. United, they formed an urn with a curious handle;
a frog painted on the outside and a butterfly within." In the same
neighborhood, on the summit of a cliff twenty feet high, was another old
ruin "strongly walled around." In the centre was a mound on which were
traces of a circular edifice.
The next place of encampment was at Zuni, where, as shown in Figure 21,
can be seen one of these great Pueblo buildings inhabited by two
thousand people (Lieutenant Whipple's estimate). It has five stories,
the walls of each receding from those below it. Looking from the top, he
says it reminded him of a busy ant-hill, turkeys and tamed eagles
constituting a portion of its inhabitants. Not more than a league away
is an "old Zuni" which shows nothing but ruins. Its crumbling walls,
worn away until they are only from two to twelve feet high, are "crowded
together in confused heaps over several acres of ground." This old town
became a ruin in ancient times. After remaining long in a ruined
condition it was again rebuilt, and again deserted after a considerable
period of occupation. It is still easy to distinguish the differences in
construction between the two periods. "The standing walls rest upon
ruins of greater antiquity;" and while the primitive masonry is about
six feet thick, that of the later period is only from a foot to a foot
and a half thick. Small blocks of sandstone were used for the latter.
Heaps of debris cover a considerable space, in which, among other
things, are relics of pottery and of ornaments made of sea-shells.
Pieces of quaintly-carved cedar posts were found here, and their
condition of decay, compared with that of the cedar beams at "El Moro,"
"indicated great antiquity." The place of this ruin is now one of the
consecrated places of the Village Indians; it has "a Zuni altar" which
is constantly used and greatly venerated. On leaving the place, their
guide blew a white powder toward the altar three times, and muttered a
prayer. This, he explained, was "asking a blessing of Montezuma and the
sun." This altar seems to represent recollections of the ancient
sun-worship.
[Illustration: Fig. 21--Modern Zuni.]
At a place west of Zuni ancient relics were found, indicating that an
extensive Pueblo town had formerly stood there, but "the structures were
probably of adobes," as there was no debris of stone walls, and only
very faint traces of foundations. Near the Colorado Chiquito is an
extensive ruin, on the summit of an isolated hill of sandstone, the
faces of its walls being here and there visible above heaps of debris.
It appears to be very old. As near as could be ascertained, the great
rectangular Pueblo building was three hundred and sixty feet in extent
on one side, and one hundred and twenty on the other. In some places the
walls are ten feet thick, "with small rooms inserted in them." Stone
axes, painted pottery, and other articles are found in the debris: "The
indented pottery, said to be so very ancient, is found here in many
patterns." On a ridge overlooking the valley of Pueblo Creek are traces
of an old settlement of large extent, supposed to have been that heard
of in 1539 by the friar Marco de Nica as "the kingdom of Totonteac."
Adobe seems to have been used here for building. Traces of other ruins
were seen in various places, and springs along the route showing ancient
stone-work are mentioned.
[Illustration: Fig. 22.--Pueblo Ruins in the Valley of the Gila.]
Ruins are abundant in the Rio Verde Valley down to the confluence of
that river with the Rio Salinas. It is manifest that this whole region
was anciently far more populous than it is now. Lieutenant Whipple says,
"Large fields in the valley of the Rio Gila, and many spots among the
Pinal Lena Mountains, are marked with the foundations of adobe houses."
Figure 22 represents a Pueblo ruin in the Valley of the Gila. "In
Canyon Chelly, near San Francisco Mountain, and upon Rio Verde, there
are ruins of more permanent structures of stone, which in their day must
have excelled the famed Pueblos of New Mexico." There was a higher
degree of civilization in the ancient times, so far as relates to
architecture and skill in the arts and appliances of life, than has been
shown by people of the same race dwelling there in our time; but the
ancient condition of life seems to have been maintained from age to age
without material change.