One of the most instructive ruins of the McElmo Canyon region is
situated at the head of Cannonball Canyon, a short distance across
the mesa north of the McElmo, at a point nearly opposite the store.
This ruin is made up of two separate pueblos facing each other, one of
which is known as the northern, the other as the southern pueblo (pl.
22, _b_). Both show castellated chambers and towers, one of which is
situated at the bottom of the canyon. The southern pueblo was excavated
a few years ago by Mr. S. G. Morley, who published an excellent plan
and a good description of it, and made several suggestions regarding
additions of new rooms to the kivas which are valuable. Its walls were
not protected and are rapidly deteriorating.
This pueblo, as pointed out by Mr. Morley,[28] has 29 secular rooms
arranged with little regularity, and 7 circular kivas, belonging to
the vaulted-roofed variety. It is a fine example of a composite pueblo
of the pure type, in which there are several large kivas. Morley has
pointed out a possible sequence in the addition of the different kivas
to a preexisting tower and offers an explanation of the chronological
steps by which he thinks the aggregation of rooms was brought about.
Occasionally we find inserted in the walls of these houses large
artificially worked or uncut flat stones, such as the author has
mentioned as existing in the walls of the northwest corner of the court
of Far View House. This Cyclopean form of masonry is primitive and may
be looked upon as a survival of a ruder and more archaic condition best
shown in the Montezuma Mesa ruins farther west, a good example of which
was described by Jackson.[29]
[28] Amer. Anthrop., n. s. vol. x, no. 4, pp. 596-610, 1908.
[29] Op. cit., pp. 428-429.