Pajarito canyons. Here the potreros reach stupendous heights and the canyons correspondingly great depths. A thorough knowledge of Indian trails is all that will enable one to penetrate this labyrinth. For description of the remarkable antiquities from Rito de los Frijoles to Cañada de Cochiti the writer can do no better than to quote Mr A. F. Bandelier, the pioneer archeologist of this region. The photographs here reproduced were made on the present author's third field trip to this section in the summer of 1905. Mr Bandelier says: "

140 FEET

110 FEET

60 FEET

OF STONE WALL.

"From the southern edge of the Ziro-Ka-uash, or Mesa del Pajarito, we look down into the Rito as into a narrow valley several miles long and closed in the west by rocky ledges, over which the stream descends to the bottom lands of the Rito. Through these it flows for several miles as a gushing brook, enlivened by trout, bordered by thickets of various kinds of shrubbery, and shaded at intervals by groves of pine, and tall, isolated trees of stately appearance. In the east, not far from the Rio Grande, a narrow, frowning gateway is formed by lofty rocks of black basalt, leaving space for the bed of the stream, the waters of which reach the river only during freshets, while in the valley they are permanent. The slope of the mesa lining the Rito on the south is gradual, though steep; ledges and crags of pumice protrude from the shrubs and grass growing over it. Tall pines crown it above. The average depth of the Rito below both mesas is several hundred feet; in places, perhaps as much as 500 or more. It is not properly a valley, since its greatest width hardly attains half a mile, but a gorge or 'cañon' with a fertile bottom and a brook running through it.

REMAINS OF

FIG. 15.-Ground plan of ruin no. 20.

"As seen from the brink of the southern mesa, the view of the Rito is as surprising as it is picturesque.

"The effect is heightened by the appearance of a great number of little doorways along the foot of the cliffs, irregularly alternating with larger cavities indicating caves, the fronts of which have partially or completely crumbled away. The base of the cliffs rises and

a Papers of the Archæological Institute of America, American series, IV, Final Report, part II, p. 139, Cambridge, Mass., 1892.

falls, so that the line of caves appears to be at different elevations and not continuous. There are spaces where the rock has not been burrowed into; in some places two, in others three tiers of caves are visible. The whole length of this village of troglodytes is about 2 miles, rather more than less.

"The cave dwellings of the Rito are so much like those of the Pu-yé and Shu-finné that they scarcely need description; the differences are purely local and accidental. As in the Tehua country, they have artificial floors, and are whitewashed inside or daubed over with yellow clay. There are the same types of doorways, air-holes, and possibly loopholes; the same kind of niches and recesses; but the cave dwellings at the Rito are the most perfect seen by me anywhere.

"I measured nearly every cave through the whole length of the cañon as far as traces of former habitations extended, but must confine myself to some details only. Against such of the cliffs as rise vertically and the surface of which is almost smooth, terraced houses were built, using the rock for a rear wall. Not only are the holes visible in which the ends of the beams rested that supported roofs and ceilings, but in one or two places portions of the beams still protrude. They were round, and of the usual size. Along the base of these cliffs extends an apron, which was once approximately leveled, and on this apron the foundations of walls appear in places. It would seem that a row of houses, one, two, and even three stories high, leaned against the cliff; and sometimes the upper story consisted of a cave, the lower of a building.

"Chambers nearly circular, larger in size than the majority of caves, are also found in the cliffs, some of which have a low projection around the room like a bench of stone. These were doubtless estufas, as I was told by one of the Indians who accompanied me to the spot. There is a distinct estufa not far from the bank of the brook opposite those caves situated in the upper portion of the valley, and a smaller one still higher up. Including the four estufas connected with the pueblo ruins, of which I will speak further on, I have noticed at least ten such constructions at the Rito.

"In describing the Pu-yé, I spoke of the pueblo ruins which lie on the top of the cliff of that name. At the Rito de los Frijoles there are at least three similar ruins, but they lie in the river bottom. Two of them are in front of the caves at a short distance from the talus sloping up to them. One was a one-house pueblo of the polygonal type, which probably sheltered several hundred people; the interior court still shows three circular depressions or estufas. The other, which lies about 60 meters (196 feet) east of it, shows 39 cells on the ground floor; and 16 meters (23 feet) north of it is an estufa 12 meters in diameter.

"A third ruin, situated nearly a mile farther down the gorge in a grove of pine trees, formed an L, with a rude stone inclosure on its north side, and connected with it is a small estufa. It is quite as much decayed as the large polygon, and the potsherds covering its surface are similar."

No. 22. Pueblo of the Yapashi and the Stone Lions. "_"It requires several hours of steady walking to reach the upper end of the Potrero de las Vacas. To the right of the trail yawns the deep chasm of the Cañada Honda, from which every word spoken on the brink re-echoes with wonderful distinctness. Toward the eastern end of the Potrero the forests begin to thin out and an open space extends until within half a mile of the rocky pedestal of the San Miguel Mountains. On this open space stands the ruined pueblo shown on Plate 1, figure 11." [In this bulletin pl. Ix, b.]

"Like all other pueblos of this region it is built of blocks of pumice or tufa, nearly rectangular, but now much worn. I counted 280 cells on the ground floor and the average size of 126 of them proved to be 4.3 by 2.7 meters (14 by 9 feet). Six estufas are visible; four inside the courtyard formed by the houses and two outside. The courtyard is open to the southeast and the whole forms practically a one-house pueblo, the buildings of which were at least two stories in height and in some places three and perhaps four. To the southeast of the ruin on the edge of the woods stand the remains of an artificial tank. The population of this village can not have fallen short of five hundred souls."

"The name of Pueblo of the Yap-a-shi has been applied to the ruin, but its proper name is still unknown to me, as the designation current among the people of Cochiti, Tityi Ha-nat Ka-ma Tze-shum-a, signifying literally 'the old houses above in the north,' with the addition of Mo-katsh Zaitsh, or 'where the panthers lie extended,' is subsequent to the abandonment of the village. This name refers to the lifesize images of pumas or American panthers (also called mountain lions), which lie a few hundred yards west of the ruin in low woods near the foot of the cliff's called 'Potrero de la Cuesta Colorado.'" [See pl. x, a of this bulletin.]

"These remarkable stone objects are cut out of the tufa which constitutes the surface rock of the Potrero de las Vacas."

"The figures attached to the rock are two in number, and lie side by side, representing the animals as crouching with tails extended, and their heads pointing to the east. They are much disfigured, especially the heads. Still the natural agencies to which the images have been exposed in the open air have rounded the edges of the (originally very

a Final Report, part II, p. 150.

The act of vandalism was perpetrated by shepherds.

uncouth) carvings and increased their life-like appearance. nized at a glance when I first saw them in the evening twilight of the 25th of October, 1880, the intention to represent panthers preparing for a spring. The length of each statue is 1.80 m. (6 feet), of which 0.74 and 0.71 m., respectively (or a little over one-third), make the extended tails; the height is nearly 0.60 m. (2 feet), and the breadth varies between 0.35 m. across the shoulders and 0.43 m. across the hips (14 and 17 inches). The space between the heads and the tails of both figures measures 0.20 m. (8 inches) and 0.53 m. (22 inches).

"An irregular pentagonal enclosure surrounds the images, made of large blocks, flags, and slabs of volcanic rock, some of which are set in the ground like posts, while the majority are piled on each other, so as to connect the upright pillars. The perimeter of this enclosure is 20.8 m. (68 feet); the height of the tallest post, 1.25 m. (4 feet); and the length of the longest slab, 1.58 m. (5 feet 2 inches). On the southeastern corner is an opening one meter (39 inches) wide, forming the entrance to a passage lined by two stone hedges like the enclosure, running out to the southeast to a distance of 5.85 meters (19 feet). The whole is much disturbed, and its original appearance was certainly more regular than at present. When I last saw the monument, it looked like a diminutive and dilapidated Stonehenge."

No. 23. La Cueva Pintada (“the painted cave"), plate x, b.—“In the gorges both north and south of the Potrero are quite a number of artificial caves. Those on the north, in the Cañada Honda and the upper part of the Cañon del Alamo, are fairly preserved. The upper part of that gorge is wooded, and the caves were thus somewhat sheltered. They offer nothing worthy of special mention, and do not compare in numbers with the settlement at the Rito. The Queres say that these caves also are 'probably' the work of their ancestors. Those on the south side of the Potrero de las Vacas are much more worn, and are connected with the interesting natural rock shelter called by the Queres Tzek-iat-a-tanyi, and now usually termed Cueva Pintada or the painted cave. This large cavity measures 17 meters (55 feet) across its entrance, its depth is 14 meters (46 feet), and at an elevation of 17 meters (55 feet) above the floor is a hemicycle of pictographs painted in red ochre, to which there is an ascent by means of old and much-worn steps in the rock. The pictographs represent some of the well-known symbols of the pueblos, such as clouds, sheet lightning, the sun, dancing-shields, and male and female dancers. Their execution is very rude. The diameter of this hemicycle is 10 meters (324 feet). Besides these aboriginal daubs, there are modern ones of equal artistic merit, among which the cross is prominent. Cave dwellings have been excavated in the rear wall of the cave, and 15 meters (48 feet) above the floor are indentations

showing that chambers had also been burrowed out at this height. The steps therefore may have been made in order to reach this upper tier of rooms; for it appeared to me that the paintings were more recent than the cave village, as they are partially painted over walls of former artificial cells, the coating of which had fallen off before the pictographs were placed on them. Most of the cave dwellings are found on the west side of the Cueva Pintada. Some of them have two tiers; and there are also traces of foundations in front of the cliff, showing that houses had been built against the wall. Of the extent of this cave village it is difficult to judge, but enough is left to indicate that it may have contained a few hundred people."

No. 24. Haätse.-"Near the foot of the Sierra San Miguel lie the ruins of the pueblo shown on plate 1, figure 13. It stands on a bald eminence, from which, as from the Potrero de las Vacas, an extensive view is obtained in all directions except the west and north. The village consisted of five separate buildings disposed around an open square and its population must have been at least two hundred souls. I saw two estufas outside of the square, one of which measured seven, the other thirteen meters in diameter (23 and 42 feet). Fifty meters southeast of the ruin lie the remains of a large artificial tank. The pottery is mostly coarsely glazed, older kinds being rare. This pueblo the Queres of Cochiti call Ha-a-tze (earth), which seems to be its original name."

No. 25. Stone Lions of Potrero de los Idolos.-"On the open space are the remains of two images of panthers, similar to those on the Potrero de las Vacas. One of them is completely destroyed by treasure hunters, who loosened both from the rock by a blast of powder, and then heaved the ponderous rocks out by means of crowbars. After breaking one of the figures to pieces, they satisfied themselves that nothing was buried underneath.

"The other image, although somewhat mutilated, is still in a better condition than the images on the Potrero de las Vacas, as the rock out of which it is carved is much harder and has consequently resisted atmospheric erosion far better. Its size is very nearly that of the two figures formerly described.

"The imperfections of the sculpture are very apparent; were it not for the statements of the Indians, who positively assert that the intention of the makers was to represent a puma, it would be considered to be a gigantic lizard. Still, there can be no doubt that it is Mo-katsh, the panther fetich of the Shya-yak (or hunters) of some Queres tribe. There are also the remains of a stone enclosure similar to that on the Potrero de las Vacas; and a stone post still erect measures 1.32 m.

a was informed that in former times, whenever a pueblo was abandoned, it was customary to paint a series of such symbois in some secluded spot near the site of the village. Whether this is true or not I do not know.