The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-04

l
The outer walls of the Casa, Grandes are now only
raced by long lines Of rounded heaps parallel to- OF
a, 1t angles with, the walls standing while her,
sban was in,ersected BY transverse ws which tend
W. t ort the other and bind them together Thes,
60 suPk retained their erect positions loog after h
corners oss. had fallen. So with the higher and more
4hs interior, which Eve feet in thick
ness ~ trs Hsaa the sides or longer walls have fallen
while the corners with esna n s,os stl ose
| isolated columns Of ruinsa temple In so ruinou
state these budingS that g. b;n ~. uhcuit
meets with the low walls or ernSanA ment, which any
where else would be taken for work Of th Du. nt
transverse heaps connecting them with tionrh y
walls at once show them TO have been similar 'ougu
less height. closer inspection brings to view oorton
OF corner which has not fallen As the visite. ap
poaches the INTERIOR where the edce is in better
he becomes confused among the erect ana
fallen portions for the longer sides mostly prostrated
while the shorter ones aud those forming angles, are
standing In this demmA found it best take stand
upon the highest point, which is mound in the very
centre Of the erect walls well the the ed
fee From this point after having examined traced
the exterior portion. one may form tolerabe
idea as to the arrangement Of the edidce. not
until had walked several times around it traced
its inner apartments that could satisfy myself OF its
actual outline, when my conclusion different from
that originally formed
that there we're three separate buildings
even when took my sketch there three large
heaps, apparently unconnected each having portions Of
erect walls But closer examination found that they
had been connected by low range buildings which may
have been merely courts they Of but story
either by low buildings Corridors the entire edfce
tended from north to SOUTH at least 800 feet and from
continuous wall be traced, while the aud
western fronts extremely irregular with projecting
walls. There ap TO ha se been several courts within
the enclosure, Of greater or less dimen lions.
The general character Of this extensive range Of build
ngs is the that of the Casas Grandes near the
Pino villages, the ella, and they unquestiouaby
the work q the same people Like The latter it is built
with huge blocks Of mud, laid up in the aner.
though from some probably the lesser tenaciy OF
IiS arai in atatA Gf In
other way this decay be accounted for unless
greater antiquity is so wed for these than for the Ga
edihce. which would be contrary to all preconceived
The walls Of the present building are much decayed,
in fact half Of their thickness is washed away
and it is only by digging below the surface that
their original thickness can be seen. In the Gils
edace, the inner, surface of the walls is a.
perfect though the had but yesterday passed
his troHel them. and the exterior but little
washed away but in these portion of the surface
he sought for this, in order ascertain
they had been pasered inside ont but 1t could only
be detected by digging to the foundation which had not
and in particular midway between the most south
frcDts precisely like that on the Gia; thsr doors
top, and the same circular openings are seen in
the upper partition walls So much of the walls
had washed away that could not the cavities
where the beams inserted and hence unable
in the ella edce to ascertain the number Of stories
ss "a m o. he
doorways remained but the ntels being gone the tops
bad crunbled away or fallen.
The position OF this building differs from that the
Ga and those on the Salinas. They built upon the
plateau table just above the bottom land which their
had cu yated These stand on the decliyy OF the
plateau with portions extending both the plataau
and the bottom The bank hero about twenty feet
in height. Why so built cannot imagine, unless
cavatiGns we're made in the bank for store r0oms.
Wherever these old buildings found they show much
sagacy on the part of their founders who must have
hac object in view in adopting the plan just
toned As general custom, at the present day among
the hexicaDs their villages and ranches bnilt upon
the plateau above the valley or cultivated bottom and
there Is vegetation except such plants
are peculiar to the deserts Not blade Of grass
first that the valleys sometimes overowed, and in
rainy seasons extremely wet and damp while on
the gravey plateau which Is hard and ooth it is al
ways dry. The second reason is that being elevated
they bave good view Of their cultivated grounds
trace their cattle ard herds with esse and discover the
ayTloach Of an enemy
from the building three mounds OF loose stones about
fifteen thigh doubt the burial places Of the chiefs
great men. I-ould have opened these but had nofthe
time the facilities for doing If these were burial
places and II indications OF places Of sepulture
ele~here valuable relics might be found beneath
West of these about two hundred feet are the re
mains of a building, the dimensions Of which did
not take, but think it about $50 feet square. But
small portions OF its walls remainenough however, to
show the plan Of the building which could not have been
than story high i was divided into number
OF compartments Of equal dimensions, except the cor
ners and resembd the ground plan of of the low
buildings connected with the large edfce adjacent
covered with Of old buildings but they mere
heaps without distinct form 20 show the nature Of the
original structure In the valley they are also found
therefore, led to the conclusion that the ruins be-
fore formed grand public edfce, in which were
strd the produce OF the soil and property of value The
number and extent of long nts without
windows and of others small connected BY circular
openings low apertures, led me to believe that
they we've used for graparies The lesser ranges OF
buildings winch surrounded the main may been
occupied by the people at large whose pro pery was de-
posted The great building for safe keeping They may
ity hDll nprtv in
mon similar to the Shakers or the Mormons
The builders Gf this edace and the occaoan' Of the
their choice of SO fine a region Of country
for agricultural purposes There is no valley equal
lands Of Texas near san Antonio, to the ierne
valleys of California Los Angeles. and, with the
exception Of the Rio Grande there is no river o. equal
between those Of stern Texas and the Colorado of
California The water, too is clear aud sweet unlike The
muddy waters Of the Rio Grande the lecos and the Colo
rndo, which are charged with vegetable matter ana
earth
The Casas Grsndes or San Mguelrver rises about two
hurered miles northwest the city Of chihuahua whence
ii flows in course nearly north by the TWINS and the
ruins of the name the to of Barrancas Corre
tos and Japos after which it takes an eastwardy
direction and empties itself into Lake Guzman 1t re-
ceiyes tributary eight nine miles north OF Janos and
another from the west, called the Iemewaca, about
ten miles south If the town Of Casas Gnndcs &c TIE
valley here is about two miles wide covered with lux
uIiaut fields of grass and wheat The river
Passing Through its centre marbed ny ne OF giganuc
trees while in various deachei spots are groups OF the
The acequias irrigatng canals which ntersect
the valley in every direction are, like the river, lined
With a large growth Of sbrubbery.
Beyond the plain rises the plateau which has gradual
ascent to low range of hills about eight miles distant
he, which with miles Of intervening space rises
lofty ridge of mountains toek two general views OF
the ruins from the west seated on the top OF the
little mounds referred 10. in which the whole ex.
tent OF the buildings is shown, with the valley
ur mountains beyond. The other !; taken from point
the southeastern corner showing portions OF the
walls which not in the FIRST sketch Ar may be
seen 10 the sketches low mezqute bushes have taken
around the buildings well among its walls a in
its apartments On the west, the Plateau extends 10
rar low mountains about five miles distant running
in line from northwest to southeast The river bottom
and iacent plateau about fifteen miles in width,
which is about the width iro Jauos to Casas
Grapdes. Proceeding south thee mountains appear TO
approach thereby contracting the plateau and valley
The latter tcd continues fertile far TO the south.
and IL highly cultivated any portion OF the country
On the summit OF the highest mountain southwest OF
the ruins about ten miles dtant there pointed
ont to ancient fortress Of stone from which the
whole country for vast extent can be seen II was at
ttibutcd TO the people who erected the Cnsas
Grandes," and doubtless intended as look out
With the naked eye this fortress be seen but on
looking at il through my spy glass IL quite distinct.