The Glenwood post., 1917-02-03
NEW TYPE OF RUINS
IN MESA VERDE

ouleau VI AMERICAN ehunoloSy,i VINO re-
turned recently from his field work in
the Mesa Verde National park, Colo
rado, reports that his work has revealed
for the first time a new type of pre-
historic building, possibly 600 years
old-a pueblo, commonly defined as
terraced community building, not at
tached to cliff, but constructed in the
open. During the past few years the
Smithsonian institution, in cooperation
with the department of the interior,
has directed the excavation and repair
of several prehistoric ruins in the
Mesa Verde National park, among them
the HSun Temple, 'excavated by DR..
Fewkes last year, which proved a
unique example of aboriginal building
specialized for religious purposes, and
"Spruce Tree house' and "Ciff Pal
ace," Characteristic cliff dwellings Of
the culture of the early dwellers.
The building excavated last summer
forms one of what is known as tl.e
Mummy Lake group of mounds which
might be termed a type locality, for it
seems representative of a considerable
region. According to DR.. Fewkes the
area now comprising Arizona, Utah,
Colorado and New Mexico was inhabit.
ed in prehistoric times by Indians SINH
lar to those of any other region of
North America, but their dwellings
were very different.
This unique territory, therefore,
bears the name t<Pueblo Culture area"
1t is the only aboriginal culture area
where buildings have determined the
name, being distinguished from all
others mainly by architectural charac-
teristics, although the agricultural fac.
that these forebears of the American
Indian possessed maize or Indian corn
aids in establishing their peculiarities.
"rhe immigrant clans that first peo-
pied the southwest built neither cliff
dwellings nor pueblos," says DR..
Fewkes, consequently this style of
dwelling originated exactly where We
now find them.
"When man first entered the south
west he knew little of the advantages
Of stone as q building material, for he
built his hut of mud and sticks, or pos
sibly skins of animals. The North
American Indian became a stone mason
as result of life in cliffs, and no.
where outside of the southwest we-e
buildings constructed of stone by the
aborigines of the section north of Mex
leo. The prehistoric masonry in this
region is development which occurred
before the advent of the white, man.
And yet, no European ever saw an in
habited cliff dwelling on the Mesa
Verde, and no article of European man
ufacture has ever been found in the
undisturbed debris of the rooms.''
All of which shows that these early
dwellings were abandoned before the
Spanish conquest.
Concerning the new type of dwelling
just unearthed from its deep cover Of
earth, rock, debris and sage brush, DR..
Fewkes says that there were formerly
as many buildings Of this kind as there
were cliff dwellings in the canons-
practically about 100 of them. They
seem to have been arranged in groups
surrounding or near Mummy lake, an
artificial depression surrounded by all
! encircling ridge or wall, and undoubt-
edly used as a reservoir both for drink
ing and irrigation waters.
The mound chosen to be excavated
stands near the government road at the
southwest corner of the group area, and
only few steps from the rim of Soda
canon.
''1t might well be called Far View
House," says the excavator, "since the
southern outlook is very fine, and from
the upper rooms four states-UNah,
Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado
may be seen.''
When the building was excavated
forty domiciliary rooms were found cir
cular, ceremonial kivas were found on
the ground floor. The former were
mainly two stories in height, the rafters
Of the lower floors forming the beams
for the second, and extending alsng
north, east and west sides of the main
buildings. A row of rooms to the
north Of kiva ga" shows evidence OF
a third story, which would probably
have brought the original number Of
rooms to over fifty. To the south is q
great court supposed to have been .
dance plaza and still inclosed by the
remnants Of wall. The main north
wall Of the pueblo measures 113 feet
from the east to west, and was apper-