Evening star., 1899-12-11
THE CLIFF y DwELLERs.
Result of Recent Explorations in the
Santa Clara Canyon.

Santa Clara Canyon.
The report Of the governor of New Mex
leo says regarding the famous cliff dwell
ers:
VERY important explorations have lately
been made in the Santa Clara canyon In
regard to the famous cliff dwellers, which
are visited every year. by hundreds Of peo-
pie. This party of explorers measured the
communal building of the ancient and
abandoned cliff dweliers, and found it to
be 300 by 400 feet, three stories high, and
containing approximately 1000 rooms. They
excavated two rooms and found the walls
in good state of preservation with some
evidence of building skill They discovered
considerable pottery. beautifully decorated
with geometrical designs and partly glazed
something unusual. as the pottery hereto
fore found was generally unglazed Many
turkey bones gave evidence that the an
cient occupants knew the good points of
the national bird; the turkey corrals were
found to be small, and connected with the
living rooms by low archway only high
enough for turkey to slip through
"In the two rooms pipes of an unusual
shape were found One was in imitation
of a prickly pear, and the other of a cac-
tus. There were evidences that the cliff
dwellers grew tobacco, and the charred
corn found proves that they also grew
corn. There was evidence that the build
ing had been deserted in haste, and that
the cliff dwelers had left nearly every
thing behind them.
THE most important discovery however,
was that of nine skeletons almost com
plete. The skulls show that the cliff dwell
ers we're not Indians, but We're allied to
the Caucasion race. The back of the skill!
is fiat, but the forehead is well developed
The chin is strong, and the appearance of
the face must have been long slim and
intellectual. They had beautiful teeth,
but, strange to say, instead of in
cisors they had grinders. which, according
to the theory of evolution is proof that
they We're vegetarians for many ages be-
fore being driven out by invaders or by
some calamity. One of the skulls had been
pierced by an arrow on one side, while OF
the other 1t was fractured as if by a toma-
hawk. The man to whom it belonged had
perhaps fallen while repelling an attack
by the Indians one femur measured 1872
inches. and the skeleton to which it be-
longed must have been between seven and
eight feet high
The burying places at Santa Clara have
not been discovered yet, but it is known
that the cliff dwellers We're buried in
STOPPING position, with their heads between
their knees and the feet pointing to a COM
mon center. Skulls were found with long
red hair by this exploring party, and also
monuments with inscriptions that resem-
BILE Chinese characters, while on the ella
river monuments were found that seemed
to be of Egyptian origin. One well-known
scientist in the party has made study OF
the subject and feels positive that the cliff
dwellers belonged to another race than the
Indian.
1T is believed that the cliff dwellings are
from 800 to 1900 years old, and that the
Santa Clara settlement was abandoned OH
account of the eruptions of the crater, not
far from here, which threw out the i'm
mense lava fields that cover large areas to
the west of the city of Santa Fe. The
relics found include Instruments used for
dressing hides; pottery. some of the pot
terry being very large; skeletons, and other
remains of the cliff dwellers.
These discoveries prove that long be-
fore Columbus set foot on the shores of the
new world the valleys and plains Of New
Mexico We're the seat OF civilization
which has been the wonder of scientists
and explorers; for ages unknown people
contended for the possession of the lands
and streams Nation after nation of
strange beings followed each other in con-
quest, and today. above stated, evil
dences are to be found in the ancient set
Elements of their unknown inhabitants.
The old pueblos in New Mexico are the
homes of the descendants of the cliff dwell
ers and the antiquarian will find enough
of what is old beyond tradition. yet new
to the nineteenth century, to keep him
occupied for years in patient research. 1t
is not necessary to 60 to Egypt or Persia
to find ruins and relics of people who have
passed from the face of the earth: they can
be found right here IN New Mexico aE>l
within easy reach of comfortable nomes
and hotels"