Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-06-06
ARlzONk'S BURIED CITY.
Lieut.. Cushing Describes the Relics of the
Past Inearthrd at Los Muertos.

ul''tli- VI tl' hNdaell'y ol oclCiCe, II |
will dciail. first, the circumstances which |
led up to my discovery Of ancient Los
Muertos, or the City of the Dead. in the |
Salt River valley OF Arizona, and then |
show the relations of the characteristics |
of this city 10 those of the modern Zuni. |
and vice versa.
"At an early age contracted the.habit |
of wandering about the woods Of western |
New York and discovering fossils. Gu
rious stones, etc, and from their resem- |
blance 10 living forms had seen tried
to formulate some theory as % their
origin. These theories, | subsequently
found, harmonized very wonderfully ~ with
those entertained by whole people as a
religious belief. | refer to the Zunis. l
began to ponder whether there was any
system observed by these people in this
matter, and | was led 10 observe charac-
teristics of soil and topography which ac-
companied the occurrence Of camp site
among the Indians"
After minutely describing his r. irso -
training in this respect. and showing
how, even in plowed fields. traces Of
former human occupation had been dis
covered. Professor Cushing referred TO
the five or six years he had lived with
the Zunis, and said that the narration of
his experiences and discoveries had 80 in
terested New England lady named Mrs.
Hemingway that she organized the Hem
ingway Southwestern Ethnological ex-
petition TO carry cut the line Of his OK.
plorations, and this led to the discovery
of Los Muretos.
"a number Of like mounds" con.
tinued the speaker, "happcnel to meet
my gaze, and hidden away under the
mesquite forest saw unmistakable signs
Of an ancient Indian village. Art re.
mains-fragments of pottery and other
peculiarities precisely similar 10 those
found in Zuui-were discovered. After
several feet Of excavation had bcon made
the walls Of a yeritable city more than
three miles in length were laid bare.
From deductions made from all the sur.
roundings / concluded that the newly
discovered city was about twenty times
the size Of the moderu Zuni. The archi.
lecture may be characterized as COM
posed Of terra Gotta.
"Thirty-three blocks Of houses have
already been excavated. The population
of Zuni being l,G00 souls, that OF Los
Muertos may be estimated at that about
eleven centuries ago, when it was aban.
doned. The most interesting character
istic which proved that the city had been
overwhelmed by a succession Of earth
quakes was that the walls opened up, as
it were, as though they We're on hinges
at the bottom. Similar peculiarities hayu
been observed during the recent earth
quakes in Mexico.
"On account of the suddenress Of ~ +.
catastrophe the inhabitants had no time
TO remove a single article, and, there.
fore, all that could withstand the elfe,t
Of time are scattered about as in the DAYS
Of their use. such as ancient Jars, mills
and axes The latter punches, with their
handles burned off, lie on the ground 70
they fell
"A most interesting discovery was
made said the lecturer, Prospecting the
pottery in this ancient village. The
water jars contained an apparently arti-
tificial break in the continuity of an or
namental band on the exterior and the
food jars ON the interior precisely similaG
to those Of the Zunis, so that am led to
believe from this and other peculiaritics
! that the inhabitants of Los MuertoS we're
the ancestors Of the Zunis. These bands,
| found, while living with the latter
people. were not caused accidentiy, and
possessed deep meaning.
Il endeavored TO learn the unnanly
art Of making pottery for the women
always make It, and while sitting among
them moiding some clay, commenced
10 whistle softly. The women rose in
horror and exclaimed: Child, childr
/ was amazed, bur an old woman lei me
aside and said: You must never whistle
or sing or make any sound that would
awake an echo in the canyon while maxi
ing pottery, for if you do the voice viii
&c out while It is burning ani the pot
terry will crack
"All savages, I found, believed that
everything that has motion. heat or sound
Of itself must have life. The Zunis have
observed that whenever n vessel breaks
or becomes useless IN other woris when
il dies, il gives loud twane, especially
during the burning process, and they
think vessel Is initiative like the echo.
Furthermore, they think when a vessel is
rut on the fire that il sings, and they be.
lieve that the vague existence they give to
the vessels has something TO do with the
good qualities OF the food taken from
them.
nThcy would not let me whistle be.
cause th"y believe the sound of my voice
would enter the clay and break il when il
was subject d 10 hcut. These ideas give
a more rational aspect to the superstiluus
feeling the Slyagcs bear towards their
fetichcs and idols.
IL supposed there were no Zuni ruins
west Of the center Of Arizona. but here,
much further i'm that direction than I
could ever have imagined, found this
marvellous city of the dead. The Zunis
consider their households as entities. and
by natural course OF reasoning they
| have been led 10 believe that their house.
hold articles should take their place
among their gods The Zunis' concep.
ton of the soul is very curious. II Is
supposed that The priests Of hcredity have
also by hrrclity power over their own
souls. which enables them ON great &c.
casions 10 separate their souls from their