The Washington times., 1901-06-30

| could be had only from above. by the aid
of a series OF steps cut into the face OF
the cliff Eight miles above the mouth of
| the Mancos there are the ruins OF another
large cliff village In this case the houses
occupied two narrow ledges in tbS cliffs.
one about thirty feet above the, other and
at least 800 feet above the canyon bottom.
The cliff villages always contained one
or more circular rooms, the use of which
was doubtless religious, for similar Struc-
lures are found in the valley ruins and In
some of the inhabited pueblos, where they
are known as estufaS. In them are per-
formed many of those sacred ceremonies
of the tribe. Besides the cliff villages.
however, there are hundreds OF cllff
dwellings in the Mancos Canyon and its
branches. ranging in size from single
rooms up to groups of considerable i'm
pOrtance. in which no circular rooms are
found. Many of them are on sites so IN
accessib that IL seems incredible that
human beings should select such places
for homes.
A type closely related to the cliff dwell
ling proper is the cave dwelling, fine eX-
amples of which are found in the Mancos
Canyon and in other parts of the region.
These curious habitatiOns are followed
out of the cliffs by digging away the soft
shaly rock and then wallinS up the fronts.
In one place in the Mancos Canyon pic
turesque outstanding promontory is liter
ally honeycombed with these dwellings,
which give one the impression that they
We're constructed by d race OF pySmles,
for neither the outer apertures nor the
openings between the rooms are large
enough to permit person of ordinary
stature to pass through.
On the brink of the cliff above these
cave dwellings is the ruin of a circular
tower.
These towers are found throughout the
Mesa Verde country; in fact, there is hard
ly half mile without the remains of one
or more of them. Nowhere else do they
attain the same development. In size they
range from ten feet in diameter Up to
forty or more with walls one to two feet
in thickness still standing, In some cases
to a height of over fifteen feet. They
are invariably connected with other
structures. usually groups OF rectangular
rooms, and in the finest examples the cir
cular walls are double and even triple,
the spaces between them being divided
lighter construction. The masonry is of
the highest type, the stones being dressed
on the outside OF the curve by pecking
with a stone implement and laid neatly
in mud mortar.
1t has been suggested that the circular
towers were in some way connected with
the peculiar rites Of serpent worship, and
perhaps were the repositories for the
snakes used in the sacred ceremonies. In
the Moki villages to the south, where
the snake dance Is {. biennial rite. all that
part Of the ceremony which precedes the
public exhibition takes place in the estu-
fas. and If the same rites prevailed in the
Verde couatry. as Seems likely, ii is
probable that they were performed in the
Throughout the whole of the Verde re-
gion, in favorable localities, there are
dozens of photographs, both pecked into
the rock and painted dpon 1t. That many
of these were executed by the people who
built and lived in the houses now in ruins
there can be no doubt The figures are en-
graved or cut into the face of the rock
which has been Clipped out to a depth of
a quarter of an inch or more One of the
most striking groups is about six feet
long and consists Of a procession of men,
birds and beasts, general movement to
the right being shown. The figures ap-
pear to be tied together in continuous
line, with smaller figures, perhaps repre-
senting dogs. above and below while
number Of men are stationed on either
side as if TO keep the procession in order
Doubtless the artist of long ago, who
must have devoted months to his work,
sought to represent some event or the
highest Importance to his tribe, perhaps
migration or a victory over some other
people.-Scientific American.