Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1904-08-27
PlCURIS PUEBLO
Special Interest CenterS in the
CuarieleSS OF thu
Place.
THE BUILDING Is VIOLATED
From ta. Sew Nes.,an

Pueblo g.n..r iu uy foc8IIDH Guar
tOIUs and f.W other buildings of
equal antiquity which are considered
hy wauy tU .a ths oldest existing
structures in New Mexico l uHt boz
lho entire United States Tho tu
iIt.0Hs uf fbG Indians them elves a..
0rIhod t0 these au extraordinary ago.
AMI are Very rloar in tho assertion
that they we're occupied Isfor, tho
drsl coming of the spanlarIs The
building known as the Cu1rg'Ue s
somewhat isolated from tho remain.
.Dr NJ the pueblo. being several hum.
iIHI yards tn the northeast of fbo
other houses. and ls uuv much smaller
Boa every way than DO was within tho
memory of living men. 10 stands today
us a picturesque ruin. boldly outlined
In the shy aut showing thg signs 0f
neglect and decay which fUr.shadow
lts complete destruction during the
next half century uuloss means are
adopted To- sgeur. ... preservation
Description ~ Building.
Tho building consists Of .uiy Give
or .IN rooms ou OBJ. uuurd GUHr and
rIsos to hg.rbt 0. three r.HH,a A
generation a.o thD present STRUCTURE.
was surrounded by other room which
hay, gradually fallen and uHH only
constitute mounds uf earth. Hf fHn
names lf fhc exact residents HHI.n
ar. H'l won known Ig fha ...r boo.
hnu.t1ufs The building Wa. f".1 at
least Two stories higher than ii. .s at
present. some OF the Indians Insisting
tuat be- reached even thrCo moro Hfur.
'.s Zoo height, and must have J.yalod
.hD nrClt communal structures at
Taos DOB elevation DO not Boo slz, Forty
N,.rs ago some of those upper cham.
bon were occupied by Mariana Leon.
an uur.. OFF thD venerable nlrIstuu.
the Informant aud hy Jose Antonio
Leon aud h's wife Isabel where now
Che rooms aro open Go thp Wast
through me- destruction of tho outer
walls N0I9sr1 NUrmolO. Inv ancestor
ot "a family u'i largo ana important
had DTS residence l.ss than hale
century arU
Tho most notable feature of tHo CO.
articles H tHa. tho structure is not
0u.l. 0f 0I.h. o. is believed that Boo
thIa respect tHc old houses OF pIeurls
are unique. and come investigators
hold UHt tNOv Hu.olato aI adobe
structures and ar. fne beet existing
representative of o. class lf buildings
which existed before thp adobe came
into uFc
Construction Of Walls.
The wallis are made OF earth. but
wore built hy hand from prepared
mud "a height of about foot being
added boo each layer Tho lines Of
those layers ara stIll perfectly DIS.
t.rruIshablo. and according 90 tho In.
dams each layer represents "a days
work on the structure. o. 90 not uu-
usual DO some parts OF New Mexico 90
SEQ garden walls. or those built for
boundaries along the sides of lm.
por'ant roads. erected iu thIs way.
large mulls being made of plank and
1Ilad with soft mud. which hariCnB
into substantial Enclosure. hut
those houses of plcurIs were made
Ions before any boards existed in this
country. and according t0 the pueblo
OF additions were built nap entirely by
hand. ln thickness thpy vary from
one foot Tor interior or partition walls
tn eighteen inches f0r those coustl.
uting the ostorI1r OF tua building
THE CuarIDiDs structure Is erected
entirely Zoo thIs way. and 90. least two
other ancient buildings ,Nat in the
pueblo. The original structures 90
which are of similar character. but
which have moro modern additions
or repairs Iu which al0bo have boon
employed ono 0f those 0u tho Wost
era side of tho town. presents curl.
uus illustration of che changed moth.
ui of construction. tho center of the
building being erected 600 f1g ancient
style. buf moro modern additions ou
both Sides AFRO built off adobe the
contrast between tlo tH0 systems
h..us worry apparent
similarity in Buildings.
Travellers who have visited both
places have boon struck ny inc HImi
larI.y 600 construction of the Casa
Guufe Do Arizona and tho Cuartolos
iu p...#s Tho former he'ng ou Che
natural highway of travel has be-
como wen kuoNu. while tho latter
seldom receives "a visit from either
the scientist or the tourist The
former Is now specially protected
from further decay by the govern
meut of tho United stat0 while thC
latter ls slowly hut surely crumhlinr
into ruin
Another poculIarty of pccuris o.
that % possesses four eiufas instead
0f the tvo usual Ga tho pueblo towns
of fho rio Grande valley Ono OF
those 90 very near tho Cuarieloa. two
arc Side hy side lu the upper plaza
of the VILLAGE and tho fourth o. in
tbe n0r'hwosternly outskirts While
thoy follow tho ordinary rule OF holne
circular. and more or le under
ground set they vary from the usual
tyne by being entirely beneath tho
surface and by having two openings
suuara ono furnished With a ladder
Tor entrance and oHlt and "a circular
one which serves us a chimney ir
relieving me osiu'a from smoke.