It is thought best that I should give, in connection with the catalogue
of collections made by the party under my charge in 1880-'81, a brief
statement in relation to the collections described in the catalogues,
and the information obtained in regard to the Pueblo tribes.
Our explorations during the field season of 1880 and 1881 were
restricted to the Pueblo tribes located along the Rio Grande and its
tributaries in New Mexico. The chief object in view was to secure as
soon as possible all the ethnological and archaeological data obtainable
before it should be lost to science by the influx of civilized
population which is being rapidly thrown into this region by the
extension of railroads into and through it. Not only are the
architectural remains being rapidly destroyed and archaeological
specimens collected and carried away by travelers, excursionists, and
curiosity hunters, but the ancient habits and customs of these tribes
are rapidly giving way and falling into disuse before the influence of
eastern civilization.
Our party, consisting, besides myself, of Mr. Galbraith, archaeologist,
Mr. Morancy, assistant, and Mr. J. K. Hillers, photographer, proceeded
to Santa Fe, N. Mex., where an outfit was secured for the season's work.
From here we proceeded to Taos, one of the most extensive pueblos in the
Rio Grande region. This village is situated on the Rio Taos a few miles
from the Rio Grande, and just under the shadow of the Taos Mountains. It
comprises two large sections, one on each side of the Rio Taos. These
are compactly built and each six stories high. The industrial pursuits
of these Indians are principally pastoral and agricultural, they having
a good market for their products in the Mexican village of Fernandez de
Taos, containing a population of about 4,000 Mexicans and eastern
people.
The party spent several days here making investigations and collections.
The collection made was small but quite varied and novel, though few of
the articles obtained were of their own manufacture.
Quite a number of stone implements were secured, among which were some
stone knives, pipes, a number of rude stone axes and hammers, arrow
smoothers, &c. The pottery obtained here is chiefly of the common type
and resembles that from San Juan, from whence in all probability it was
received by exchange and barter. Earthenware, so far as I can learn, is
not now made in Taos, except by a few families where a Taos Indian has
married a woman from San Juan or some other tribe where the manufacture
of pottery is carried on. If this industry was ever, practiced by the
Taos Indians it must have been at a remote period; in fact there seems
to be no tradition of it now among them.
From here we went next to the pueblo of San Juan, situated on the left
bank of the Rio Grande, about 50 miles south of Taos. At this pueblo a
collection was made of stone implements, articles of clay, &c. These
specimens are not quite so representative as those from some of the
more southern pueblos, the village being situated on one of the military
wagon roads, over which many Europeans pass, and hence frequently
visited; many of the most valuable specimens of implements and pottery
have been bartered away; however, those we obtained display quite
fully all the industries of the people of this pueblo. This collection
consists of a number of fine stone mortars, pestles, arrow and spear
heads, also several polishing stones. Quite a number of small animal
forms carved out of stone were also secured. At this pueblo many
specimens of the black polished ware peculiar to a few of the tribes
in the Rio Grande Valley were collected.
From San Juan we proceeded to Santa Clara, situated a few miles below
on the right bank of the Rio Grande. This pueblo proved to be so
interesting in its surroundings that some time was spent here in
making investigations. We found the people extensively engaged in the
manufacture of that black polished pottery of which so little has been
known heretofore, especially in regard to the process of baking and
coloring it, which is fully described in the text accompanying the
catalogue of last year in this volume. The larger portion of the
specimens of earthenware obtained here was of this kind, though several
specimens of the red and some few of the ornamented class were also
secured.
Most of the pottery manufactured at this village is the black polished
ware. That of the decorated class is ornamented with the juice of
_Cleome integrifolia_, which is fixed in the ware in the process of
burning. Mineral substances, so far as I could learn, are not used by
the Indians of Santa Clara in decorating their pottery.
Among the specimens are a number of interesting stone implements, nearly
all of an older kind than any made by this people at the present day.
During our stay at this pueblo some interesting archaeological
discoveries were made of which a brief mention in this connection may
not be out of place, and which will certainly prove of great interest
to future investigators. Between the Rio Grande and Valle Mountains,
commencing about 12 miles below, or south, of Santa Clara, and extending
south, to within ten miles of Cochiti, a distance of about 65 miles,
is an extensive area, the intermediate elevated portion of which
is composed of a yellowish volcanic tufa, of coarse texture and
sufficiently soft and yielding to be readily worked or carved with rude
stone implements. Over this entire area there are irregular elevations,
somewhat circular in outline, from 50 to 200 feet in height, the faces
of which have been worn away by the elements, and are in nearly all
instances perpendicular. These consecutive elevations extend back from
the Rio Grande from five to fifteen miles. Over this whole expanse of
country, in the faces of these cliffs, we found an immense number of
cavate dwellings, cut out by the hand of man. We made no attempt to
count the number of these curious dwellings, dug like hermit cells out
of the rock, but they may be estimated with safety among the thousands.
I made many inquiries of the neighboring tribes in regard to the history
of these dwellings, but could elicit no information from any of them.
The response was invariably, "they are very old and the people who
occupied them are gone."
An inspection of a portion of this area revealed a condition of things
which I have no doubt prevails throughout. The dwellings were found in
the faces of the cliffs, about 20 feet apart in many instances, but the
distances are irregular. A careful examination satisfied me that they
were excavated with rude stone implements resembling adzes, numbers of
which were found here, and which were probably used by fastening one end
to a handle.
The doorways, which are square, were first cut into the face of the wall
to a depth of about one foot, and then the work of enlarging the room
began. The interiors of the rooms are oval in shape, about 12 feet in
diameter, and only of sufficient height to enable one to stand upright.
The process, from the evidences shown inside, of carving out the
interior of the dwelling was by scraping grooves several inches deep and
apart, and breaking out the intermediate portion; in this way the work
progressed until the room reached the desired size. Inside of these
rooms were found many little niches and excavated recesses used for
storing household ornaments, the larger ones probably supplying the
place of cupboards. Near the roofs of many of the caves are mortises,
projecting from which, in many instances, were found the decayed ends of
wooden beams or sleepers, which were probably used, as they are now in
the modern Pueblo dwellings, as poles over which to hang blankets and
clothing, or to dry meat. These dwellings were without fireplaces; but
the evidences of fire were plainly visible at the side of each cave,
and in none of those visited did we find any orifice for the egress of
the smoke but the small doorway. On the outside or in front of these
singular habitations are rows of holes mortised into the face of the
cliffs about the doors. It is quite evident that these were for the
insertion of beams of wood (for forming booths or shelters in the
front), as ends of beams were found sticking there, which, in their
sheltered position and in this dry climate, may have been preserved for
centuries.
Upon the top of the mesa of which these cliffs are the exposed sides we
found the ruins of large circular buildings made of square stones 8 by
12 inches in size. The walls of some of these structures remain standing
to the height of ten or twelve feet, and show that from four to five
hundred people can find room within each inclosure. One of these
buildings was rectangular and two were round structures. The latter were
about 100 and 150 feet in diameter, the rectangular one about 300 feet
square. Many small square rooms were constructed in the interior from
large cut bricks of the tufa of which the bluffs are composed. These
rooms all opened toward the center of the large inclosure, which has
but one general doorway. From these ruins we secured great quantities
of pottery, arrow and spear heads, knives, grinding-stones,
arrow-smoothers, and many of the small flint adzes, which were
undoubtedly used for making the blocks for the structures on the
mesa and for excavating the cave dwellings. Among the debris in the
dwellings are found corncobs and other evidences of the food used by the
inhabitants. This certainly indicates that the people who occupied these
singular dwellings were agricultural.
The faces of some of the more prominent cliffs contained as many as
three rows of chambers one above the other; the debris at the foot,
sometimes 200 feet deep, covered up at least two rows of these chambers.
Along the edges of the cliffs and over the rocky surface of the mesa
are winding footpaths from 3 to 10 inches deep, worn by the feet of the
inhabitants. Some of these paths showed perceptible foot-prints where it
was inconvenient for those following the path to do otherwise than tread
in the footsteps of their predecessors.
In our limited investigations we were unable to discover any evidence of
burial customs. No graves could be found, and nothing of human remains.
The southern portion of this area seems to have been most densely
populated. Some of the protected walls in the neighborhood retain
hieroglyphics in abundance. These resemble the picture writing of the
present Indians of that region. Many interesting specimens of the art of
this ancient people can be seen in the images of wild animals scattered
over various spots. Many of them are cut in full relief out of the tufa
and are always in some natural attitude, and can always be identified
where the weather has not destroyed the original form. The most
prominent are two mountain lions, side by side and life size.
Further examinations will reveal much more of value and interest in
connection with this very inviting locality.
Mr. Galbraith, who accompanied my party, spent some time examining this
region and made collections here.
The next pueblo visited was San Ildefonso, about five miles below Santa
Clara, on the opposite bank of the Rio Grande. But few specimens were
obtained here. The people of this pueblo devote their time chiefly
to agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and have almost abandoned the
manufacture of pottery, that in use by them at the present time being
mostly obtained from neighboring tribes.
From San Ildefonso we proceeded to Nambe, a pueblo which has become
almost extinct. The remnant of this people is situated about 25 miles
above Ildefonso, on Nambe Creek, and not far from the base of the
mountains. The people of Nambe have several times in years past moved
their pueblo higher up the stream, the valley of which furnishes them
fine agricultural and grazing grounds. They make very little pottery,
but we found stored in many of the houses of the village great
quantities of stone implements, principally large metates and
grinding-stones. We also found many specimens of interest among the
ruins of old Nambe and Pojuaque, as well as the remains of pottery in
such quantities as to show that in the past the manufacture of pottery
had been carried on quite extensively. In this vicinity I made
arrangements with one of the employes of the party, who had resided
many years at Santa Fe, to make excavations and collections from the
old sites of Nambe, Pojuaque, and Cuyamunque, in which he was quite
successful.
From the pueblos north of Santa Fe we traveled direct to Cochiti,
27 miles southwest of Santa Fe. This village is situated on the right
bank of the Rio Grande and about three miles from Pena Blanca, a small
Mexican town opposite. Here a very interesting collection was secured
consisting mostly of pottery, many of the vessels simulating animal
forms, variously ornamented with representations of some varieties of
the flora of the locality. A few stone implements were also obtained
here.
We next visited Jemez, situated on the Rio Jemez. From thence we went
to Silla and Santa Ana. At each of these villages representative
collections were made, all of which are referred to in detail in the
catalogue.
The next villages visited were Santo Domingo and Sandia, on the Rio
Grande. Some characteristic specimens were obtained at each of these
pueblos. The method of their manufacture and the manner of using them
are generally the same as in most of the other pueblos.
A small collection of rude stone hammers was obtained from the turquois
mine in the Cerrillo Mountains, about 25 miles from Santa Fe.
The products of this celebrated mine, which were objects of traffic
all over New Mexico, as well as contiguous countries, probably formed
one inducement which led to the Spanish conquest of this region. The
turquoises from this mine have always been valued as ornaments by the
Indians of New Mexico, and carried far and wide for sale by them.
The mine was worked in a most primitive manner with these rude stone
hammers, a number of which were secured. The collections are all now
in the National Museum for study and inspection.
The following sketch is introduced here to show the method of using the
batten stick represented in Fig. 546. There is not a family among the
Pueblos or Navajos that does not possess the necessary implements for
weaving blankets, belts and garters. Figs. 500-502 will convey an idea
of the variety in design and coloring which prevails in this class of
Indian fabrics, while Fig. 710 represents a blanket weaver at work. The
picture is taken from a photograph made on the spot by Mr. Hillers, and
is colored in accordance with the actual colors of the yarns and threads
used in its manufacture.
The particular class of blankets represented in this illustration is
woven in the estufas, and is used almost exclusively in sacred dances
and ceremonies of the tribe, all other garments being made in the houses
or in the open air. The Navajos are celebrated for their skill as
blanket weavers, and the Mokis are equally skilled in the manufacture
of a finer class of the same article, which is much sought after by the
surrounding tribes for ornamental purposes in sacred and other dances.
The vertical threads, as shown in the figure, are the warp threads; the
coarser thread which is inserted transversely between these is the yarn
or weft. The three rods in the center of the blanket are lease rods,
which are introduced among the threads of the warp to separate them and
thus facilitate the insertion of the weft thread. These rods are each
passed in front of one warp thread and behind another, alternately,
across the whole warp, and between each rod the threads are brought from
the back of one to the front of the next, and _vice versa_. The bar held
in hands of the weaver serves as a batten for driving or beating the
weft thread into the angle formed by the crossed warp threads.
This loom resembles in principle the ancient Egyptian, Grecian, and
French looms which are described on pages 55 to 62 of "The History and
Principles of Weaving by Hand and Power," by A. Barlow, London, 1878,
and on pages 41 to 45 of the "Treatise on Weaving and Designing of
Textile Fabrics," by Thomas E. Ashenhurst, Bradford, England, 1881.
See also pp. 200 to 208, Vol. II, of the "Cotton Manufacture of Great
Britain," by A. Ure, London, 1861.