Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-03-22
new MEXlCO'S RUINS
Remains Of Prehistoric Buildings
Of Roughly Hewn Stone.
Found Near Aztec. in San Juan County
Some Valuable ROLES Secured in Scaled
Chambers.
(From the samc Fe New Mexican,
Chambers.

but In San Juan there exist wonderful
remains Of the early dwellers. About
mile west Of the county town OF Aztec
on mesa now under cultivation are
found the fallen or partially standing
walls of structure which presents
features of unusual interest. 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 thirty feet.
The lower rooms can now be reached
only through II passageway that has
been cut through the second story, and
GAN be examined only by the aid of ar
tiiicial light. They vary from six to
ten to ten by sixteen feet at the base,
and are ten feet In height The ground
walls are three and one-half feet in
thickness, and the facinEs OF all outer
and inner walls are made OF dressed
stone of uniform thickness. While
shaped without the aid of metal tools.
they present Il very uniform appear
ancc. and the amount of labor required
to dress them with implements of stone
attests the Skill and patience OF the
builders. The many thousands of tons
of rock were brought by human labor
from quarry two miles distant. Some
attempt was made TO break joints in
the different courses, and, doubtless 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 igno-
rant of the principles of bonding ut
point Of wall intersections, for each
cross wall Is built to- but not into the
wall ii meets at the true right angle.
They evidently were not familiar with
the use of lime. for all mortar was
MADE from a deposit of red clay about
one-half mile distant. which contains Il
large amount OF pyroNidc of iron and
minute infusorac of marine deposit.
which furnishes Il mortar. when pro-
tected from the weather. almost as
harfi as cement. In these dry and now
underground rooms this mortar has be-
come almost as hard rs the stone itself
but in the outer walls the centuries of
storms and sand laden winds have
worn /; away Ia depth of about two
Inches.
Passage 10 tho several rooms was
made through doorways OF uniform
width Of three feet. varying from four
10 nv" feet in height. and so far as
KNOWN all entrance Was first made from
the court or nuadrangular area en-
braced within the outer walls Light
and ventilation were secured to The
outer tier of rooms by openings. usually
eight by twelve inches in size. which
are located ut IL uniform distance of
SIX feet from the clay floors
In all places where irregular Joints
occur the mortar is filed with count
less numbers Of flakes of stone. per
haps not more tLan one-cighth OF an
inch in thickness. The mortar was
placed with the hand, as is apparent
from the palm and finger prints. All
nlNidirE walls We're carried from the
base through the upper stories. thus
making rooms in tiers OF uniform size.
AS the several g cries We're completed
an offset o.! about four inches was
made, ara from the rcccCiins thickness
Of he thrce stories now standing the
building was evidently seven stories in
height.
N','ile many of the rooms bear no
ev'dticc If fire others are bllckened
W;:h smoke. ard the nrcplaces i'm the
ar%'cs are connected with pia, cred
sues 'hat extend upright through the
scVcra, stories.
pr22lirg question arises as TO how
or whore they procured The logs that
Sunnort the several floors. Thcx re-
scmhlc red spruce. but that is no. now
fourd nearer than one hundred miles
distant on the higher mountains at the
head Of the .\nimas river. and. if pro-
cured. could have been brought down
only by being Heated on that stream.
ore log. which now in part SUPPORTS
the floor Of three rooms. is forty-two
rect in length with difference Of but
TWO inches in diameter at either end
some years ago a log WAS removed
from the ruins that was siXty-four feet
In length. having a diameter of eight
and eleven inches at the extreme ends. |
No red spruce now growing i'm the for
est 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 cnt off as evenly as can be done
with the modern steel AK. This may be
q hard statement to believe. but the
logs are here to speak for themselves |
In the absence OF their former own
erH. and all can see who will. So en-
during and great is the strength OF this
timber that now after centuries of use
where 1t has been protected from mois-
lure IL is apparently as sound as when
mist cut. and the two logs that span
edch room now support a deposit OF
from 10 to 10 feet of rock and NOR
TAR mat has fallen from former walls.
In other rooms through the open door
ways can be seen the broken and bat
tered beams and poles that have been
crushed by the great weight OF fallen
oenris.. writes Cecil a. Deane
AZ right angles to the beams is laid
tier or small poles about three inches
in diameter. and also free from hork
On these is layer of cedar splints, and
above these is layer of cedar bark.
which in turn Is covered with n denosit
OF clay mortar about four inches in
thickness, which forms the floor proper
Aoout MY rooms. in the lower and
now underground story have been
opened. The number so far as inyesti-
cations have been made indicates a n.
tai of about 100 rooms. or 700 In the