Washington sentinel., 1898-04-16
An Enchanted Mesa

turtles old. The valley Of Acoma has
been described as "the Garden Of the
Gods multiplied by ten. and with ten
equal out other wonders thrown in;
plus human interest, an archaeological
value, an atmosphere of romance and
mystery;" and the comparison has not
been overdrawn, Stretching away for
miles lies beautiful level plain clothed
IN grama and bound on every side by
mesas of variegated sandstone rising
preclpitously from 300 10 400 feet, and
relieved by minarets and pinnacles and
domes and many other f aturSs OF
natures architecture. None Of these
great rock tables is so precipitous. so
awe inspiring, and seemingly so out Of
place as the majestic, isolated Katzimo
or Enehanted Mesa, which rises 40
ieet from the middle Of the plain as If
too proud to keep company with its
fellows; and this was one OF the ma,y
wonderful homesites Of the Acomas
during their wanderings from the mystic
Shipapu in the far north to their present
lofty dwelling place. Native tradition,
as distinguished from myth, when uniu-
tuenced by Caucasian contact. nav
usually be relied on even to the extent
OF dispt owing or verifying that which
purports to be historical testimony. The
Acoma Indians have handed down from
shaman to novitIate, from father to son,
in true prescrip,orial fashion for many
generations, the story that Katzimo was
once the home of their ancestors, but
during great convulsion of nature, at
a time when most of the inhabitants
were at work in the fields below, an
immense rocky mass became freed from
the friable wall Of the cliff, DESTROYING
the only trail to the summit and leaving
few old women to perish on the
inaccessible height. What more, then.
could be necessary to enwrap the place
for ever after in the mystery OF enchant-
ment.
This tradition was recorded IN its
native purity some twelve years ago by
Mr. Charles f. Lummis, and the same
story was repeated by Acoma lips to
the present writer while conduc ting
reconnaissance Of the pueblos in the
autumn Of 1895. During this visit, de-
string to test the verify OF the tradition,
a trip was made to the base of Katzimo,
where a careful examination Of the taIus
Especially where it is piled high about
the foot of the great southwestern cleft
up which the ancient pathway was re.
puted to have wound its course) was
rewarded by the discovery OF numerous
fragments OF pottery OF very ancient
type, some of which were decorated in
aVitreous glaze, an art now lost to pue bio
potters, The talus at this point rises to
a height of 924 feet above the plain, and
therefore slightly more than hallway up
the mesa side. It is composed largely
of earth, which could have been de-
posted there in no other way whatso
ever than by washing from the summit
during periods Of storm through many
centuries. An examination OF the trail
to point within 90 feet Of the top ex-
hibited traces of what were evidently
the hand and loot holes that had once
aided in the ascent OF the ancient trail,
as in Acoma to-day, Even then the
indications Of the former occupancy OF
the Enchanted Mesa were regarded as
sufficient, and that another one of many
native traditions had been verified by
archeologic proof.
More recently the author visited
Katzimo a second time, on this occasion
with Major George n. Pradt, Mr.. A. c
Nroman, and Mr.. II. c. Hayt, in order
to determine what additional data of an
archaeological nature might be gathered
by an examination Of the summit. The
ascent OF the talus, in which the potsherds
had been observed IN such considerable
quantities two years previously. was
made in a few minutes, the ladders,
ropes, and Photographic and surveying
instruments being carried with some
effort. since climbing, heavily laden, at
an altitude Of 5000 feet, in a broilng
sun, IS no trifling labor; but the real
work began when the beginning OF the
rocky slope OF the cleft was reached.
One member of the party. taking the
lead. dragged the end Of a rope to a
convenient landing place. where dwarf
pinon finds sufficient nourishment from
the storm water and sand from above
to exc out a precarious existence.
Fastening the rope to a tree, the outfit
was hauled up, and the other members
of the party found a ready means OF
ascent. The next landing was several
feet above, at the base of a rather steep
pitch OF about twelve feet. This wall
although somewhat difficult to scale
may be climbed with greater or less
safety by the aid of several small holes
in ITS face. These holes were doubtless
made artificially, but as the narrow
pathway at this point is now a drainage
course during periods of storm, the soft
sandstone has become so much eroded
that they have apparently lost their
former shape.
The summit OF K Encantada was reached
after some difficulty. 1t has been swept
and carved and swept again by the winds
and rains of centuries since the ances-
tors Of the simple Acomas climbed the
Ladder trail OF which we found the
traces, The piunacled floor has not
always appeared as it is to-day, for It
was once thickly mantled by the sherd-
streWn soil that now forms a goodly
part of the great talus heaps below.
There is little wonder, then, that the
party despaired Of finding even a relic
when they had reached the top Of the
trail and looked about at the destruction
wrought, and yet they had been on the