Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-04-30
THE ANCIENT PueeLos OF TAOS.
Interior of the Huts-Councii Chamber
Under carriers.

interior OF the huts-Souncii ShhinpeT
Under Ground-water-Carrie
The pueblos of Taos, for there are two
of them, side by side, overlook the town
and are nestled at the foot of sage
grown hills. From a distance, as one
approaches them, the two piles OF sun
baked houses resemble a pair OF ant
hills. or collections of mud blocks, such
as swallows might have constructed for
a habitation. And nearer acquaint-
ance does not wholly dispel ones first
illusions. The huts are small in size and
are built one ON top of the other, without
regard to any rule. The roof of one
house is the foundation of another.
Shaky ladders, worn and old, reach from
the ground to the roof above, and en-
trance to the various habitations is by
means of a second ladder leading
through trap door cut i'm the house top.
The interior of the huts is dimly lighted
and usually consists of one room, the
walls of which are whitewashed and
hung about with the belongings of the
resident. In their younger years the
pueblos were surrounded by high wall,
which served as means Of protection
against the attacks of enemies, and the
villages were inhabited by large and
active population. Now, however, the
wall is down. and the Indians, number
ing about 500 in ALL are a quiet, peace
able, rather lazy, but wholly picturesque
people. They are self-supporting and
own large flocks of sheep and goats.
Each pueblo has its governors, and the
councils of the tribe are held in what is
known as an estufa, cavern-like place
excavated from beneath the ground, and
entered by ladder which projects far
above the narrow opening. In this sub,
terranean cave the cases involving breach
of discipline and the laws Of the people
are considered AMI framed, while tradi.
ton reports that there is also kept burn.
ing down there light which is destined
TO light the return of the mystic god
Montezuma, for whom the priests offer Q
prayer from the housetops, both in the
morning and at night Whether this i.
so or not has never been clearly decided
and probably never will be. No stranger
is allowed to go into an estufa, and judg
ing from the smell arising from the
dark-looking place no white man would
ever wish to investigate the truth of tn,
story.
Separating the two pueblos of Taos il
a narrow shallow creek. Here, at al
hours, from early morning until late al
night, the women of the village gather
Some are filling earthen jugs with water
Others are washing, and not few arr
giving their naked children a much
needed bath. They are full of mischief
these black-eyed and often pretty girls,
and have little hesitation in wetting &
stranger by pretending to let fall one o
their heavy jugs at convenient mo
ment. Their dress consists of a singl,
garment-of calico or some other coarse
knee and falls away from the shoulder
in rather immo modest manner. Gathered
around their heads ard falling in reall,
graceful folds over the shoulder is ;
black shawl, behind which the face j.
often concealed with real or affected
modesty.
The pottery is homemade and is no
to be compared in finish or design witt
that which used to be made by the fore
fathers Of the present race. But i
answers all the purposes of the time
however, and possesses in rare instances
considerable merit. The women do th'
work of the village. Mothers at l2 year
of age, gray-haired, fat and slovenly a
30, and blear-eyed, lean and toothless a
go, they mend their husbands clothes
carry the wood and water into tn,
houses, tend the sheep, dig in the fields
cook, wash and labor from early morl
until late at night. Common baking
ovens are scattered about the plazas
Made Of sun-baked brick and oval il
shape, they are filled with hot Goals unit
sufficiently heated, and are then cleane,
out and the bread put in. After the loa
is baked, and while the ovens are still
warm, the dogs of the village crawl il
and gain comfortable nap.-New Mex
leo Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.