Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-10-25
THE PUEBLO
B0N|T0
Mysterious Ruins One Hundred
and twenty-five Miles
Northwest Of Santa Fe
Ten LARGE VILLAGES
A Community Building Of Stone Five
Stories High and containing
Twelve Hundred Rooms.

About 1875 miles northwest O
Santa Fe, is section of coun
try now sparsely populated by Naya
no Indians and an occasional white
family, where in years gone by dense
population existed. This tract Of
country, eight or ten miles wide by
thirty long, is dotted here and there
with extensive ruins. No one knows
when these buildings were vacated
Evidence is plentiful that at least 20,
900 people lived at one time in this
section.
One of the largest of the ruins
Pueblo Bonito is located in canon
extending northwest and southeast
The canon is about 80 rods wide and
has a comparatively level floor. The
soil Is fertile and would produce
grain and vegetables in abundance
II water could be secured for irriga
lion. 1t is very probable that when
the section was inhabited by the an.
cient Pueblos water was more abund.
ant, as they could not have existed
without the annual production of
large quantities of grain and vege-
tables.
The walls of the canon ave perpen
dicular and of red sandstone, about
go or Is feet in height. The village
of Pueblo Bonito was single struc-
ture, $40 feet in length by $50 feet in
width, covering nearly four acres,
and was semi-circular in form 1t
was built of stone laid in adobe
mortar, with evidence of great skill
and pain In its construction, as the
walls al remarkably smooth and
even wi lie the angles and circles
are accurate and tastefully designed
The house was five stories high and
contained 1900 rooms. These rooms
varied in size, but the average was
abont 5 by IL feet, with 5 foot ceiling
Cotton wood and pine timbers were
used for joists, overlaid with small
branches of willow, which was GOV
cred with smaller twigs and branches
90 as to support the adobe floor OF
roof. Small doors 2 IL feeu bv 4
feet provided entrance for the outer
tier of the ground floor rooms. Small
windows, 5 by 10 inches. admitted
light to all outside rooms. These
windows were probably mere open
spaces, as no evidence exists that
glass or mica was used.
There are 26 circular estufas or
kivas, which were the council rooms
for the pueblos. A few OF them were
6 or s feet in diameter, the largest
being about 40 feet, the average was
perhaps, Is feet in diameter. They
were all constructed in form alike
being an exact circle. The depth OF
an estufa from the ceiling to the floor
was about 10 feet. A circular seal
of stone, 20 inches in width and Ii
inches high, was placed entirely
around the room. Some OF these
estufas are in perfect condition today
They were probably used for council
rooms where the laws governing the
people were made, or for the per
formance of religious ceremonies
Others may have been work rooms
where blankets were woven and gar
ments made.
| Three hundred of these rooms have
been excavated. In some OF then
skeletons have been found, as wei
as various domestic utensils of tn
Pueblo Indians. 1t is said by SOM
that very few of the tools and uten
sils of the ancient inhabitants wer
found, while it is supposed by other
that large quantities Of pottery, bead
and ornaments, including turquoise
and obsidian instruments were fount
It required two years work to e.
cavate the 300 rooms, about 10 worl
men being employed, at a cost c
many thousand dollars. One ca
limagine the immensity of the buil'
ing when it required Is men workin
for two years to excavate 500 room
A conservative estimate would plat
the former population at 2,4OO soul
d This building did not contain the e.
tire population of the immedia
neighborhood, as the remains OF tV
other large stone structures al
found few rods west, each OF whie
would probably accommodate II
people.
Along the sides of the canon, abo'
. every 300 yards was located
/. building, probably three stories hig
/ each one Of which would accomm
Y date perhaps SO people. These bull
: ings are supposed to have been farl
houses. Very little water is no
found near this village. Three mil
north, on top Of mesa Is a sms
J. spring located under an overhan
ing cliff Of rock. A roadway W
s found from the village to the sprin
g the high places being excavated al
8 made smooth, which Is evidence th
J. the water used for domestic purpos
$ was carried from this spring.
e In the vicinity Of the spring Is
red clay easily soluble In water