American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-02-24
SCIENTISTS MAKE STARTLING DISCOVERY
IN MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

which closely resembles the base Of a
tower. This ives probably intended
Ike the tower" In Cliff Palace. Ton
ceremonial rites,
One 'of the most interesting features
= the establishment Of the walls by
geometrical figures cut in their sur
faces- rare form of decoration. Sew
eral stones with inctsed figures were
set in the walls. Generally, the designs
are geometric, but there are others,
including the figure OF a ladder lean
Ing against q wall, turkey tracks ana
the conventional Sign of flowing wa
ter. The importance OF these 1ncised
figures on stone set in walls, says
the report, lies in the fact that they
seem to Indicate an advance In arch
itectural decoration not represented
In other prehistoric buildings in the
southwest. They may be regarded as
first steps In mural sculpture. a form
of decoration that reached such an
advanced stage In old ruins In Mex
leo and Central America. Each fig
ure may have had a special meaning
Of symbolic Significance connected
with the DON In which 1t occur but
they seem to me to have been intro
duced rather for ornament or decora-
tive effect. 4.
Their existence should certainly
imply that II was not intended to
plaster the walls over them, and !
think there 10 a reason to believe that
they we're cut on the stones before
they were laid. One or two similar
ly incised stones have been reported
from the walls OF the Mesa Verde
oliff house, where, however, their ex-
istence 10 very rare.
The Fossil Palm Leah.
THE fine masonry, the decorated
stones that occur In II, and the unity
of plan stamp Sun Temple al the
highest example OF Mesa Verde archi-
lecture"
The walls are constructed Of the
sandstone Of the neighborhood. Many
stone hammers and picking stones
were found In the nedghborhood.
One OF the most remarkable fea-
lures OF the structure 10 a stone fos-
sH set In the outer wall near the
southwest corner Mr.. F. w. Knowl-
ton, of the United States National
Museum, has identified this as the fos-
sill leaf Of the palm, tree Of the Creta-
caous epoch. The point Is that the
rayed leaf resembled the sun, and the
ancient races were sun worshipers
A natural object resembling the sun
would powerfully affect a primitive
mind.
AT all events" says Mi. Fewkes
they have partially enclosed this EN-.
blem with walls In such a way as te
inclose the figure on three sides, lsav.
Ing the Enclosure open ON the fourth
or west side. There can be no doub
that the walled Enclosure was a shrine
and the figure In 1t may be a key I,
the purpose Of the building. The shap,
Of the figure on the rock suggests {
symbol Of the sun, and II this sugges
ton be correct, there can hardly be q
doubt that solar rites were performed
about It,"
Mystery Of the Temples Age.
Naturally the two first questions
asked about this structure Its
& and its uses. Both are mysteries
1T Ia impossible" says the report.
ito tell when Sun Temple was begun
or how long II took for its construc-
taon or when It was deserted. There
are indications that its walls were
never completed and from the amount
OF fallen stones there a hardly be a
doubt that when A was abandoned
they had been carried up at least six
feet above their present level. The
top of the wall had been worn down
at any rate six feet In the interval
between the time II was abandoned
and the date of my excavation Of the
mound. No one a tell the length OF
this interval In years.
We have. however. knowledge OF
the lapse Of time. because The mound
had accumulated enough soil on It's
surface to support a growth OF large
trees. Near the summit Of the highest
wall in the annex there grew a tuni-
per or red cedar Of great antiquity
alive and vigorous when I began work
This tree undoubtedly sprouted after
the desertton and grew after a mound
had developed frcn fallen walls. Ix
roots penetrated into the adjacent
rooms and derived nourishment fron
the coil filling them.
Origin About 1900 A. u.
Necessarily when these roots were
out off, thereby killing the tree. l was
obliged to fell 1t. but che stump re.
maine. cut off about a foot above ths
ground. A section Of this tree at tina
point was found by MI. Gordon Parker
supervisor of Montexuma NationaI
Forcot. to have SEQ annual rings; III
heart 10 decayed. but Ne size suggests