The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1872-08-10
New Mexico, Her Antiquities and their
Legends.

The antique relics Of New Mexico, though not
90 numerous a. thoee Of Old Mexico, are by far
the most interesting Of any in the United States.
They speak t. us of an age and people whose
ideas of art and whose habits of industry must
have been far ahead Of the Indians who inhabit.
ed the eastern part Of this country, and who left
nothing. as the tide of civilization swept over
them, to show that they had been. Not SO with
the aborigines of this land. Old cities, tenn pies,
aqueducts, canals and vast piles of ruined dwell.
ings speak to us Of a people who worked, who
thought and who reasoned. These marks of an
age of Standardization are scattered over vast
territory, but are principally to be found in New
Mexico and Arizona. In giving you descrip-
ton of one Of these ruins shalt give you some
idea of them all, for in many things they are
similar, though in much they differ. Ny BUSH
ness in this country is that of q photographer,
and it was for the purpose of taking negatives
that lately visited the ruins of the Pecos, which
I shall endeavor to describe, with some of the
legends and traditions pertaining thereto.
These ruins stands near the banks of the Pecos
river, about twenty miles from Santa Fee. They
stand on rocky ledge about one hundred feet
above the bed of the Peccs, and half mile west
from the river. About forty rods west from the
ruins is the bed of another stream, and the ledge
is sort of peninsula lying between the two
streams. A mile west, or southwest, you come
to the foot Of beautiful table mountain, while
north and south you Look up and down the val.
ley of the Pecos until it is lost among the dis.
tsnt mountains. For natural beauties and pic.
turesque surroundings the sun worshippers could
not have found finer site ON which to build a
city and rear temple, and the selection is worthy
of genius as great as their adored Montazums
had no accurate means of measur ring the ruins,
but should suppose they cover an area of about
one hundred rods long by thirty rods broad, and
consist of temple at the SOUTH and from which
stone walls run north on both sides of the town,
entirely enclosing the same. The town is built
Of stone, and some Of the houses are yet standing
three stories high, though tho most are entirely
fallen Immeose piles of stones, broken walls
and cedar t,nbers, which were used for loists
and rafters, alone mark the spot where once stood
the perfect buildings
The main town was laid out in the form OF
parallelogram. with an open court or placta in
the centre. At the end of this placita was
larger room than the rest, with broad door,
which was probably the council room, Tor police
headquarters,) Immediately in front Of this door
are two round pits, at present about four feet,
and ten feet in diameter, walled with stone and
across the first lays cedar log foot in diameter
These are the traditional sites of the inverted
tree and the perpetual fire, of which 1 shall
speak hereafter. On both the east and west sides
of the plac,ts are sallyports graded down to the
plain below. The one on the east side opens on
the river bottom, while the one on the west was
for the purpose of bringing water, as there were
stone walls extending from either side of it TO
spring distant about thirty rods. The houses,
as said before. were several stories high, but
this by no means made them very imposing
structures, As the rooms we're small, rarely ex.
ceeding ten by twelve, with ceilings FIVE or six
high, and doors through which you would be
compelled to 20 on fours. The floors and roofs
we're both of the same construction, brush and
earth on top Of cedar rafters. The walls on the
inside were plastered and white washed.
But now leaving the town to be rebuilt. and
re.peopled by the imagination of my readers,
We will 50 the temple or church, which makes
much greater pretensions to architectural great.
ness. and in which we see many rude attempts
at ornament, all its timbers being carved, groov.
ed and gouged with various fancy designs. 1t is
built of stone the main building being about
one hundred feet long by thirty to forty wide
and about thirty feet high. The walls at the
foundation vary in thickness from five to eight
feet The form is that Of cross, and the church
is evidently that of Jesuit mission, though we
have no account of when it was built In it,
construction were used axes and SAWS both Of
which must have been very dull, which could
be seen by the work. No timber that saw
which had been sawed off by one cut. bu. WIS
sawed into half way from both Sides The orna.
mental work was principally done with a gouge
which cut a half circle, and the same tool 40.
pesred to have been used, instead of an anger, for
making holes. Almost everywhere among the
ruins are to be found remains Of Indian pottery,
glass arrow.heads aud copper trinkets. As to
the antiquity Of these ruins would not hazard
a more definite opinion than that none Of them
are less than two or three hundred years old and
none older than Noah's deluge
To properly understand and be interested IN
these ruins you must be acquainted with some
of the legends connected with them, as they are
| told bv the Indians, the Pueblos of TODAY, who