The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1878-09-21
Tucson Starr
The Pima Indians of Arizona.
I-THEIR HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.
Continued

There are several ruins of ancient build
ings here, the best preserved one Of whicl
! is said to have been the residence Of kins
! Si-va-no. This house has been at leas
four stories high, for even now thtG'
stories remain in good preservation, and
portion of the fourth can be seen. Th,
house was built square, each story con
tains five roOnls, one in the center, and {
! room on each of the outer sides of the in
ner room. This house has been built sol
, idly of clay anu cement, not of adobes
but by successive thick layers Of mortar
(cajon prUcess) and 1t was plastered SC
well that most of the plastering remains
to this day, although it must hare been
exposed to the Weather for nlany years
The roof and the different ceilings have
long since fallen; and only short pieces OF
timber remain In the wall to indicate the
place where the raftets were inserted.
| These rafters are OF pine wood, and since
there is no kind OF pine growing now
within less than fifty miles of the Casas
|
built at time when pine timber could be
procured near the building site, or else
the builders must haze had facilities TO
transport heaFy logs for long distances.
1t is certain that the house was built be-
| fore the Pimas knew the use of iron, for
many stone hatchets have been found in
| the ruins, and the ends of the lintels over
| doors and windows show by their hacked
| appearance that only blunt tools were
| used. 1t also appears that the builders
| were without trowels, for the marks Of
the fingers of the workmen, or women;
are plainly visible both il the plaslerng
and in the walls where the fOrtiier has
fallen off The rooms were about six feet
in height, the doors are very narrow and
only four feet high; round holes about
eight inches in diameter answered fer
| windows.I Only one entrance from the
outside Was left by the builders, and some
OF the outer rooms even had no coinmuni-
cation with the one in the center. There
are no stairs, and it is believed that the
pimas entered the house from above
by means Of ladders, as the Zuni Indians
still do. The walls are perfectly pArpen-
dlcular AID all angles square. The en-
pire Of King Si-va-no became so pCpulous
aftef q while that some of its inhabitants
found it necessary to emigrate. One Of
the sons of the King, with numerous fol-
lowers, went, therefore, to the Salt river
valley, and there established new EN-
pire, which, in course of time, became
very prosperous. Indeed the inhsSitants
became So wealthy that they wore jewelry
and precious stones upon their persons,
and finally erected beautiful throne for
the use of their monarch. This throne
was manufactured entirely of large blue
stones, (probably silver or copper ere, CIR,
perhaps; turquoise.)
In course Of time woman escended
this throne. She was very beautiful, md
many Of her warriors a6ored her. but she
refused all offers of marriage, and seemed
to be fond Of no one except a pet eagle |
which lived in her house. The rejected |
suitors, jealous of the eagle, determined |
to Kill him. but he. wise bird, discovered |
their intentions, said farewell to his mis-
tress, and flew away toward the rising of
the sun; threatening destruction to those
who had contemplated to take his life.
At she death of the queen, who married
alter the departure of the eagle, the gov
ernment Of the nation fell to her son, who
was but child in years, weak and inca
pable. During the reign Of this boy the
eagle returned conducting the Spaniards
to his former home. These came well
armed and some mounted on horseback,
which before this time had been unknown
to tie Piihas.
The Spaniards approached in three
strong sOlunfns; one marched down the
ella river, one came from the north and
the third one from the south. These
armies of strange white men terrified the
Pimas, who, without competent leader
and good arms, were soon defeated. The
enemy devastated the whole country, killed
most of the inhabitants, and leveled their !
inc building to the ground. The throne !
If the king was broken into small pieces,
md the birds of the air came and swallow
ID the small blue stones, which, afterward
hey spit out wherever they happened to {
,e. This, say the Pimas, accounts for the f
act that these blue stones ere found but Y
arely and in very different localities now. /
Stones of this kind are highly priced by f
he Pfmas, and worn as charms. But few 7
# the Pimas escaped the general massacre, I
nd hid themselves in the neighboring t
whence they returned to the v
alley after the departure of the Span L
ards. They found all their wealth de e
uroyed, their towns in ruins, their fields u
evastated, their friends or relatives car n
led off by Tire enemy, and the survivorc '
'ere in despsir. Some few, hoping to be I
BILE to liberate some of their kindred who O
ae been captured, followed the whites fl
oward the soItn; and finally settled IN a
orlora, where their descendants live to f
his day. The others remained in the c.
alt river valley, increased in numbers a