Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-05-06

The Prehistoric Man In New Mexico
Had Six Toes.
NOW ALL HAS CHANGED.

In northwestern New Mexico is a
country rich in agricultural possibili.
ties as well as prehistoric relics. The
Denver q Rio Grande railroad leaves
1t to the south, while the Santa Fe
skirts its southern border. Between
these roads lies the fertile Animas
valley, traversed by three rivers, af-
fording abundant water for irrigation.
Here. in recent years, farms have been
opened up, whose treasures of fine
fruit have lured dealers from distant
cities who come every season and buy
on the trees at remunerative prices.
although the fruit must be ~freighted
for sixty miles to Durango, the nearest
railroad shipping point, says the Path.
finder.
But where the white man now
plants his orchards, his ruder brother
OF prehistoric times once followed out
his lines of endeavor in the fulfllment
OF his ideals. Some knowledge of
what these ideals were can be leaned
from the ruins and relics scattered
throughout this and adjacent valleys
any canyons. No systematic work has
yet been lone in bringing to light
these curious remains, but enough has
been discovered to awaken much curl
osity as to these people, who hundreds
and perhaps thousands, Of years ago
lived and loved in the secluded val.
ley.
or their manner of life, We may in
fer that they were strong and enter
prising; the remains of an ancient
o a has been found that leads east
and west, swerving not an inch for
any obstruction and ending on the top
of an isolated noun or hill. This
was probably a place of worship,
though there is no sign or altar or
temple there now.
A house of 1900 rooms. partly ex.
humed, shows them to have been COM
munists in their instincts. AS to
their personality, mummies have been
found in a very perfect state of pre-
%servation. Some of these were wrapped
in cloth made of reeds or grass and
others, perhaps belonging to the kingly
caste, in soft blankets made of downy
feathers of birds. These mummies
are of medium size with no popularity
of conformation; but there Is a foot
print, in solid rock, which has awak-
ened much curiosity and speculation.
On a perpendicular wall of sand
stone, over a hundred feet in height.
there is the proof of a human foot,
about six feet from the ground: 1t was
evidently made when the rock was soft
mud, for every contour is perfect and
the weight of the body had pressed the
mud up between the toes. There was
certainly nothing small about the per-
son who made this track, for it is
about eighteen inches long and has six
toes; these point towards the top of
the cliff and farther up is another foot
print of the same size, but less distinct.
Nearer the base of the cliff are two
other smaller footprints, but each hav-
ing six toes, also pointing upward.
There are heiroglyphics or picture
signs, cut into the face of the rock,
WhiIH nave HtNtl bttU uttlphSi GU, but
which may one day tell the story of
these peoples and their times. Since
this wall of stone is vertical, the ques-
ton arises, how came these footprints
there? Certainly it must have been in
a horizontal position when this giant
with six toes took his evening stroll
or morning constitutional, with his
wife meekly following behind, and in
process of time some CONFUSION of ma
ture must have broken it away from its
surroundings and placed it on end.
But there is no other evidence of such
upheaval in the vicinity; indeed from
the top of this rock there extends a
plain on which there are other evi.
dences of prehistoric life. SO the
ignorant and the scientific will con.
tinue to speculate on this mystery, and
the truth may never be known.