Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-18

Written for The Star.
a an appropriate monument to a
~ dying race, the University OF
- Mexico, at Albuquerque, has re-
~ ~ vived in its college buildings the
prehistoric style of architecture
which ethnologists know as the pueblo"
The 'ho-ko-no," or woman's building
the "kwa-ta-ka,' or mems dormitory; the
central heating plant and presidents resi-
dence. are all designed after that form of
construction which secured protection to
the Pueblo Indian from his powerful and
ever-aggressive foes.
The model for the college buildings was
the prehistoric town of Sikyatki, in north
Arizona. The building that is to be
known the Pueblo University will be
designed as reproduction of the pueblo
at Taos.
To students of folklore of ethnology, of
the genius OF an age remote full of
interest When the work was first pro-
POSED il was sneered at as impossible.
Lo. the Poor Indian.
The pueblo as an ancient form invent
ed before man had become master of all
his present domestic comforts. was held
TO be totally unadapted TO a system of
college structures that would have to
have electric light, steam heat, running
water etc.
Yet when the time for drawing the ac-
tual plans came IL found that the
Indian of bygone centuries had so well
understood tine theory of building a house
that the lines lent themselves readily to
the installation of the modern comforts
and cohveniences without sacrificing the
original plan of having the genuine sam
pies of pue bio architecture.
Modern genius has often stood spell
hound before these wonderful pueblo
buildings surviving from remote times,
and marve}ed whence came the skill that
fashioned them
Pueblo was the term used TO designate
number of town building tribes In New
Mexico They differed from Indians of
other sections. who, content TO live in
their tepees. knew nothing of the laws OF
constructing permanent homes.
From being the name OF the tribes
pueblo" came to be applied also to the
dwelling town.
Coronado subdued the Pueblos In 1910
but they made successful reYolt a few
years later. but were again subdued in
1856. When the country was ceded to the
United States. in 1913. these Indians were
recognized as citizens, and the few sur
vivorS have since remained So their in
telligence being far above that of the In
dian known as the blanket" redskin.
Their houses were communal and ex-
ceedngly we'll adapted to their needs
The Pueblo lived in an age when might
triumphed over right and when MS enc
mics were active and powerful Hence
the communal style, with the highest
portion outside and open courts in the
center
Because of his enemies, also. the Pueblo
clustered his houses into villages. These
were in form either rounded or OF oblong
squares. Very often a whole village was
uuartered in one immense communal
house They are generally several stories
in height.
In the more ancient dwellings there
were no doors in the lower stories. access
being gained to the roof by ladders. which
could be raised at any time in case OF
attack by enemies.
The houses themselves were entered
through scuttles in the roofs. The mod
ern pueblo however, has both doors and
windows on the ground door. All contain