The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-05-18
AMONG The ZyNIS.
Hu Maxwell In the Lonely Valley
of tho Puerco River.
REMNANTS OF A BYGONE ME.
Living in the Homes of Ancient Civlll'
uatton-.-Tho Most Civilized lndinns
inAmerica...Thcir Personal Appear.
auce and Manor of Living.


AMONG TIE HVN4 4NblA4'9i -'A''' -
the strange and lonely valley OF the
Puerco river, one Of the head streams OF
the Rio GrAnde, far up among the spurs
OF the Rocky mountains, may DO found
the remnants Of an unwritten age, min
gled with the customs OF modern peo-
pie. Pulns that date beyond the mem-
ory Of the living or the annals OF the
dead, are scattered at random up and
down these valleys; while among them
still lives people whose earliest history
is less known than that OF the Chaldeans
or the Egyptians.
1 did not come into this country by
chance. for / have long considered travel
ing through these valleys and seeing Tor
myself the works Of unknown races OF
men, of which had read so often. SO,
when tho opportunity came, turned
aside from the railroad, and set out on
foot to walk among the homes Of the
ancient civilization. The morning was
cool, and n clear sky arched above the
mountvins that reached to the north as
far as the eye could follow; anu many
OF the Hottest peaks were capped WITH
snow. The hills that hem the valleys
in are entirely destitute OF trees, ana
nearly destitute Of all manner Of grasses
and weeds. They are cut up by deep
pullies and rugged raVines, worn by the
rains OF winter. They are dry now. But
in the larger creeks that flow down the
centers OF the valleys there is little
water.
The Zuni Indians live hero now.
Physically they are the finest looking
Indians have ever seen, with the prob
leexception Of the Black Feet Indians,
OF British America. They are not SO
large as the Yumas or Mojaves, but are
active, intelligent, cheerful, and, what
is more, they are industrious. There
nre no oilers among them. They work
in rude way, and much OF their labor
is unproductiyej but they keep working
all the time.
About noon came to one Of their
towns. From the distance the town
looked like IN old ruined city OF the
East-Damascus for instance, as it is
pictured. The houses stand on steep
hill, crowned with cliffs, and there seems
to be rivalry among the builders to see
who can put his house tho nearest to
the brink Of some precipice. The whole
summit of the hill is one mass Of build.
ings, crowded and pushed together till
there is no room for streets or alleys.
Those who have occasion to pass from
one part OF the town to another walk on
the roofs of the houses. This is not
difficult to do, MS the roofs are flat.
The buildings are Of stone,and brick
There is almost no wood at all in their
structure. The bricks are dried in the
sun, and the rocks are rude and uncut
mostly chunks OF lava picked up in the
plains beneath. A plentiful supply OF
mortar is used, and the rocks and bricks
are well cemented. Then, often, over
II all il spread a thick coat OF plaster,
white and clean looking. There are
scarcely any windows at all in the
houses, and this lends to them strange
appearance and makes them seem larger
than they really are.
Ihavo no exact data from which to
estimate the population at this time,
but there may be five hundred. WALKED
about the loot Of the hill whoreon the
village stands, but did not attempt to
enter any Of the houses. The Indians
in large numbers came down to me and
followed me wherever went, but they
refused to talk in English. l don't
know whether they could speak our
language or not, butitis reasonable that
some OF them could. Now and then one
would speak word or two OF Spanish,
but they would not answer my ques-
tons even in that language.
They were dressed in white, and the
men wore white leather boots, made
ike stockings. The women wore moe.
csins....1 saw many jars and urns Of
various sorts. nd sizes, made OF clay and
painted in rudeind uncouth desicps. of
cnakes, beetles, bers and otkef animals
The art was Of verylow order. The
earthen ware is Of a fragile character
and is not calculated to stand many HARD
knocks.
These Zuni Indians are the most civ
ilized Indians in America. Their civil
cation is not borrowed or learned from
others. 1t is original with them. They
had it before they came in contact with
white men, Just as they have it now
The vices and avarices of the whites
have not made many changeswith these
simple people. The earliest visits Of
the Spaniards found them occupying
their houses on the hills, and wearing
their white clothes and cultivating the
ground Just as we find them to-day.
Some persons suppose that these In.
dians are of the same race as the AxteCs
Of Mexico whose last king, Gautamozin
was overthrown by Cortez more than
three hundred and fifty years ago. Ny
opinion on the subject is OF no value, as
have no means Of knowing, and great
scholars disagree, who have spent their
lives with investigating the subject. But
have observed two or three things in
connection with these people. Their
towns are built on the ruins Of towns
still older. Beneath the debris OF houses
gone to decay are the foundations Of
houses still older; and underthese older
foundations lie stilLmore ancient ruins,
II is ruins on ruins, reaching in an uh.
broken chain from the present back into
the unknown past, ages ago. This leads
me to infer that one and the same race
OF people have occupied these towns
from time immemorial, building again
and again as the older habitations fell
into decay, No man can tell how many
towns, one on the ruins OF another, have
stood where these stand to-day.
In personal appearance, the dividing
line between Aztics and Indians is more
imaginary than real. They ali belong
to the same race, and the difference in
physiogomy between IN Aztec and an
Indian is no greater than TINT between
. German and Greek, both Caucasians,
So, It cannot be said whether these Zuni
lndinns nrn rnnllu A rkn,., -. 49, 80