Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-08-04
THE CLIFF JEWELLERS
Several Important Finds Were Made
in the Santa Clara Canon
Last Week.
ANCIENT CIVILIZED PEOPLE
DR.. G.. L. Cole and Rev. G.. s. Madden Made
Extensive Excavations Among the
Cliff Dwellings and Brought
Home Many Relics.

LII. VI. Il. Cole ana ReV. Vi. ,. Mauuel
have returned from an exploration toul
to the Santa Clara canon, where they
made important, if not startling dis
coveniss. They measured the communal
building Of the ancient and abandoned
cliff dwellers, and found it to be 800 fee
by 400 feet, three stories high, and con
tanning approximately 1000 rooms. They
excavated two rooms and found the
walls in good preservation, with some ev.
idence of building skill. They discovered
considerable pottery, beautifully deco
partly glazed, something unusual, as
the pottery heretofore found was gen.
orally unglazed. Many turkey bones
gave evidence that the ancient occu-
pants knew the good points of the ma
tional bird. The turkey corrals were
found to be small, and connected with
the living rooms by low archway only
high enough for turkey to slil
through. In the two rooms pipes Of ar
unusual shape were found. One was ar
imitation of a prickly pear, and the
other of a cactus. There We're evidences
that the cliff dwellers grew tobacco, and
the charred corn found proves that they
also grew corn. There was evidence
that the building had been deserted in
haste, and that the cliff dwelers had
left nearly everything behind them.
The most important discovery, how
ever, was that of nine skeletons almost
complete. The skulls show that the
cliff dwellers were not Indians, but We're
allied to the Caucasian race. The back
Of the skull 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
lad beautiful teeth, but, strange to say,
instead of incisors they had grinders,
which, according to the theory of evo-
lution, is proof that they We're vegeta-
rians for many ages before being driven
out by invaders or by some calamity.
One Of the skulls had been pierced by
IN arrow on one side, while on the 9TH
ar it was fractured as if by a toma-
nad perhaps fallen while repelling an
lttack by the Indians. One femur meas
ured 1917 inches, and the skeleton to
which it belonged must have been be-
places at Santa Clara have not been dis
covered yet but 1t is known that the
,liff dwellers were buried in STOPPING
position, with their heads between their
knees and the feet pointing to a COM
mon center. DR.. Cole has found skulls
with long red hair and also monuments
with Inscriptions that resemble Chinese
characters, while on the Gila he found
monuments that seemed to be of Egyp-
tian origin He has made a study of the
subject, and feels positive that the cliff
1wellers belonged to another race than
the Indian. Mr.. Madden believes that
he cliff dwellings are from 1,500 to 1000
years old and that the Santa Clara set
.lement was abandoned on account Of
he eruption of the crater not far from
here, which threw out the immense lava
ields that cover large areas to the west
If Santa Fe.
DIR. Cole packed most Of the relics,
md will take them along on his lee
uring tours. They include instruments
Used for dressing hides, pottery, some
If it very large, skeletons and other re-
Mains of the cliff dwellers. He left this
afternoon to continue his researches in
The Grand canon, Arizona.
DIR. Cole says that it Is to be regretted
hat the government does not have the
Santa Clara ruins excavated in a sys-
tematic way. Thus far but small part
If the ground has been gone over by
relic hunters in a desultory way. He
believes that if the ruins are excavated
before being completely despoiled, dis
,overies more interesting than those
made at Pompeii and Herculaneum will
be made. If his time permits he will re-
turn here next year and devote six
months to excavating in the Santa Cla-
"a canon.