There are two neighboring ruins which I shall include in my
consideration of Palatki, and these for convenience may be known as
Ruin I and Ruin II, the former situated a little eastward from the
latter. They are but a short distance apart, and are in the same box
canyon. Ruin I (plate XCIX) is the better preserved, and is a fine
type of the compact form of cliff dwellings in the Red-rock country.
This ruin is perched on the top of a talus which has fallen from the
cliff above, and is visible for some distance above the trees, as one
penetrates the canyon. It is built to the side of a perpendicular
wall of rock which, high above its tallest walls, arches over it,
sheltering the walls from rain or eroding influences. From the dry
character of the earth on the floors I suspect that for years not a
drop of water has penetrated the inclosures, although they are now
roofless.
A highly characteristic feature of Ruin I is the repetition of rounded
or bow-shape front walls, occurring several times in their length, and
arranged in such a way as to correspond roughly to the inclosures
behind them. By this arrangement the size of the rooms was increased
and possibly additional solidity given to the wall itself. This
departure from a straight wall implies a degree of architectural
skill, which, while not peculiar to the cliff dwellings of the
Red-rocks, is rarely found in southern cliff houses. The total length
of the front wall of the ruin, including the part which has fallen, is
approximately 120 feet, and the altitude of the highest wall is not
far from 30 feet.
[Illustration: FIG. 247--Ground plan of Palatki (Ruins I and II)]
From the arrangement of openings in the front wall at the highest part
there is good evidence of the former existence of two stories. At
several points the foundation of the wall is laid on massive bowlders,
which contribute to the height of the wall itself. The masonry is made
up of irregular or roughly squared blocks of red stone laid in red
clay, both evidently gathered in the immediate neighborhood of the
ruin. The building stones vary in size, but are as a rule flat, and
show well directed fractures as if dressed by hammering. In several
places there still remains a superficial plastering, which almost
conceals the masonry. The blocks of stone in the lower courses are
generally more massive than those higher up; this feature, however,
whether considered as occurring here or in the cliff houses of Mesa
Verde, as pointed out by Nordenskiöld, seems to me not to indicate
different builders, but is due simply to convenience. There appears to
be no regularity in the courses of component blocks of stone, and when
necessity compelled, as in the courses laid on bowlders, which serve
as a foundation, thin wedges of stone, or spalls, were inserted in the
crevices. The walls are vertical, but the corners are sometimes far
from perpendicular.
[Illustration: BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY