Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-04-19
GREAT RUINS IN NEW MEXICO,
Remains of Prehistoric Buildings of
Roughly Hewn Stone Near Aztec.
{ Santa I'c New MexicanJ

1t is not only in Santa Pc county where
the ancient jewellers are found. but in San
Juan there exist wonderful remains of The
carly jewellers. About Il mile west of the
county town Of Aztec on "A mesa now I'M
der cultivation, are found the fallen or
partially standing walls of II structure
which presents features Of unusual in
tercst. The mound of debris which has
been made from the fallen walls is quite
twenty-five feet above the general level.
and out of the heap walls yet standing
rise in their original position to a further
height of 30 feet.
The lower rooms can now be reached
only through a passageway that has been
cut through the second story. and can be
examined only by the aid of artificial
light. They vary from by ~ to ~ by IL
feet at the base, and are 10 feet in height.
The ground walls are three and one-half
feet in thickness, and the facings OF all
outer and inner walls are made of dressed
stone Of uniform thickness. While shap-
ed without the aid of metal tools, they
present a very uniform appearance, and
the amount of labor required to dr. ess them
with implements of stone attcsts the skill
and patience of the builders. The many
thousands of tens of rock were brought
by human labor from a quarry two mi es
distant. Som" attempt was made to break
joints IN the different courses. and, doubt
less for artistic effect. alternate layers
Of stone, not more than one inch in thick
ness, were frequently used in the walls.
the builders evidently knew the use of
the plumb line. for the standing walls are
vertical, but they were ignorant of the
principles of bonding at point OF wall in
torsections. for each cross wall is built to,
but not into, the wall 1t meets at the true
right angle. They evidently were not
familiar with the use of lime for all
mortar was made from Il deposit of red
clay. about one-half mile distant, which
contains large amount of pyroXdc of
iron and minute infuSoriae of marine de-
post, which furnishes a mortar, when
protected from The weather. almost as
hard as cement. In these dry and now
UNDERGROUND rooms this mortar has be-
come almost a. hard as the stone Itself,
but in the outer walls the centuries OF
storms and sand-adcn winds have worn
it away to a depth of about two inches.
Passage to the several rooms was made
through doorways Of uniform width Of
three feet varying from four to five feet
in height and SO far "a known all IN
trance was first made from the court or
Quadrangular area embraced within the
outer walls. Light and ventilation were
secured to the outer tier of rooms by
openings. usually SKIP inches in size
which are located at a uniform distance
of six feet from the clay floors.
In all places where irregular joints oC-
cur the mortar is filled with countless
numbers of fakes of stone. perhaps not
more IMAM One-clgntn OF an men IN tHlfh-
ness. The mortar was placed with the
hand as is apparent from the palm and
finger prints. All dividing walls were car
ricd from the base through the upper
stories, thus making rooms in tiers OF uni
form size. As the several stories We're
completed an offset Of about four inches
was made and from the reccding thick
ness of the three stories now standing
the building was evidently seven stories
in height
While many of the rooms bear no evil
dcnce of fire others are backened with
smoke, and the hreplaces in the angles
are connected with pldstered hues that
extend upright through the several
stories
p A puzzing question arises as To how or
where they procured the logs that support
the several floors They resemble red
spruce. but that is no: now found nearer
than leo miles distant on the higher noun
tans at the head of the Animas river,
and. if procured. coulG have been brought
down only by being tioated on that
stream. one log. which now in part sup
ports the floor of three rooms. is ~ feet
/ in length. with difference Of but two
inches in diameter at either end.
/ Some years ago log was removed from
the ruins that was Ga feet in length. hav
ing diameter of and II inches at the
extreme ends. No red spruce now grow
ing in the forest maintains its size to this
degree. All supporting beams were cut in
the spring. for they are free from bark,
and bear no marks of tools except at the
ends, where with stone axes they were
cut off evenly as can Ice done with the
modern steel axe. This may he "A hard
statement to believe. but the logs are here
to speak for themselves, in the absence Of
their former owners. and All can see who
will.
So enduring and great is the strength
Of this timber that now after centuries OF
use, where it has been protected from
moisture, it is APPARENTLY as sound as
when first cut, and the two iogs that span
each room now support a deposit of from
ton to fifteen feet of rock and mortar that
mas fallen from former walls. In other
rooms through tho open dOorWays can be
seen the broken and battered beams and
poles that have been crushed by the great
weight of fallen debris, writes Cocl A.
Dcanc.
At right angles to the beams is aid
tier of small poles about three inches in
diameter, and also free from bark. on
these Is a layer OF cedar spllnts, and
above them layer of cedar bark, which
i'm turn is covered with Il deposit OF clay
mortar about four inches in thickness
which forms the floor proper,
About fifty rooms in tho lower and now
underground story have been opened. The
number so far as investigations have been
made indicate "A total of about 100 rooms
or 700 IN the building before it's dcstruc-
ton began. A plan of the ground story
was made by Prof W. *. Moorehead, pres
idcnt of the Archaeological society of CO.
mmbus Ohio, who with a party of as
sstants passed two weeks here in 1892
in making careful survey of the ruins.
His time did not admit Of examination of
the east or remaining side of the quad
ranglc. The mounds of debris here are Of
less height and unlike the sandstone
rock used in walls of the three sides,