Arizona republican., 1896-01-12
Found in Northern Ari.,
 ZOna.
Rare Remains of Extre me An
 tiQuity.
Cave Dwellings that Lie Along the Course Of the Colorado
 Chiquito.

greater portion of Navajo and Apache counties, and more especially along the valley of the Rio Colorado Chiqui- to Oidsle Red River). are numerous ruins of prehistoric peoples. In the immediate vicinity of St. Johns, ,coun- ity-seat of Apache county, are ruins Of two considerable towns, no doubt con ltaining at one l5ime "a population of three thousand or more souls each.
 Wherever these ruins are found, either in New Mexico or Arizona, they invariably show their principal en- Hrance to have faced the rising sun. Here again is another significant fact, clearly proving the evolutionary pro cess through which Ghese people had passed, as have all the human family, in their laborious ascent of the ladder of civilization-their religion like all others, keeping even pace with their cfvilizing progress; (a) the caves and other similar abodes; (b) excavated holes in the ground, coverings made of tne skins of wild animals; (c) stable Mabitations constructed of loose stone Laid in mud mortar. Their religion follo wing in like order; (a) tthe phallic or worship of the reproductive forms in mature; (b) the sun, moon and ether heavenly phenomena; Co f1re-sym- bolical.
 With these people as is today among the "pueblos, ''z- as also among all races in the past, when a change in religion is taking placeS l1he old form is more or less blended with the "new;" thus we find their dwellings indicate the "sun worship" and the images aforementioned, show the two modes of worship not yet entirely separated. The present Pueblo Indian is a fire worshiper," yeGithere still re mains more or less mixed up with his religious rites which are practiced in the secret underground "estufas," evil dences of the ancient phallic religion.
 Twelve miles south of St. Johns on the west bank of the Little Colorado E,iV!ar, near the present village of San Cosmo, are other extensive ruins. On tIle opposite bank of the river from one of these ruined towns, and near the summit of a ceTTibo, f5 { large cerVice or Assure extending into thea.' little mountain perhaps sixty or more feet, and which is from three Iio ten feet, in width. In the summer of '76, accom- panied by Wm Bradbury, the writer made partial exploration of this re positcry of Indian antiquities. We took with US several candles and crawled into the cave through a very -nnrrow and hidden aperture; once in side we could stand erect. Here we found hundreds upon hundreds, per llaps thousands, of bows and arrows, many of the bows showing reptiles painted on them in cOl0rs as bright as they were the day put On; many of them were tiny as if for use of child ren; also baskets, stone axes, stone hammers, this last used as an imple- menI1 of war and of the chase, an oc- casional one was found with helve at tached showing manner of and ma teria1 by which it was made fast to the hammer" we also found specimens of turquois, polished and with holes in them as if for ear and nose ornaments; periwinkle shells, and a peculiar bead used by all aboriginas wherever met with as 'wampun.' Unfortunately some years since an ignorant Mexican ignorant of its archaeological value set fire to this valuable mass of anti quities and the whole were destroyed. It is well Ito state here that no order was preserved in the storage of these household gods" but all seemed to l1ave been pitched into the place as if done in a great hllrgy and under eX- citenent.
 At the summit of tthis cerrilto there is evidence of wall which encircled the top enclosing a space perhaps twenty-five feet in diameter; in the center Of this enclosure was a per feet globe twelve inches in diameter which had been cut out of basalt Encircling this 'f1it5lg mountain" per haps twenty yards above its base, is the remains of another wall. AnG itha whole of the lower part of the -cerrito, extending out fifty yards ol more over the plain, is Utterly covered with small broken stones as if throwI there by ''slingers."
 Farther south near the town oi Springerville, are other ruins posses sing The same physical characteristics here we find these people to have pos sessed engineering skill and ito havt .already "solved the water problem, for they had constructed immense res arvoirs for the storage" of the surplus waters of the Colorado. The "Beckel lake is one of these immense reser
 voirs, and tthe ditch by which it is nov
 filled is the same as was used by th,
 ancients
 All over the southwest country art
 to be found many ruins of this class not only on the plains and along tn, water-courses, but high up among thu cliffs that are almost inaccessible with
 out the aid of ropes and ladders, do w.
 find the dwellings of these now pre- historic people.