Historical Introduction to Studies Among the Sedentary Indians of New Mexico; Report on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos: Papers Of The Archæological Institute Of America, American Series, Vol. IBandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse
History
Historical Introduction to Studies Among the Sedentary Indians of New Mexico; Report on the Ruins of the Pueblo of Pecos: Papers Of The Archæological Institute Of America, American Series, Vol. I
Bandelier, Adolph Francis Alphonse
New Mexico -- Antiquities; Pecos National Monument (N.M.); Pueblo Indians
Specimens of every section have been sent with the collection. It has
struck me that the stratum of ashes, charcoal, and pottery, while
visible always inside,--that is, to the west of a supposed lateral
extension of the wall from _B_,--still appears to run below it. The
human remains, however, protrude about at heights where the wall, if in
existence, might have been in front of them. There were bones lying on
rubbish in front of _C_,--there were also bones within the ashes, even
at _A_; but the action of wear and washing being everywhere visible and
very complicated, I do not venture any surmise in these cases beyond
expressing the conviction that the human remains originally rested above
the layers of charcoal, ashes, corncobs, and corrugated pottery.
While at Sr. Ruiz's, I had diligently inquired of the old gentleman
about the graves of the Pecos Indians. He finally replied (after he had
for a time insisted upon it that they were at the church) that before
they became Christians ("antes que fuéron cristianos") they buried their
dead on the right bank of the Arroyo de Pecos, where he had often seen
the skeletons (las calaveras, the corpses) washed out of the cliffs and
strewn about. At Mrs. Kozlowski's, this also appeared to be a known
fact; but an examination of the creek banks showed no trace of bones,
and showed no other structures except the mound already mentioned on the
left shore. In the cliffs of the basin which I have now described I met
with the first sign of what Sr. Ruiz called "El Campo-Santo de los
Indios, antes que fuéron Cristianos." Still it is not at all positive,
because the surface of the level west of the bluff shows extensive but
flat and low mounds, covered with stones used for building, and with
painted pottery, showing that at least adjoining the human remains a
very large building, if not several, had stood at some very remote time.
The wall would then stand towards that ancient structure in the same
relation as the mound or chamber _V_ stands towards the ruin _A_ on the
_mesilla_; and it would indicate the custom on the part of their
inhabitants of burying their dead around their houses, or at least in
sight of the rising sun, and in little chambers of stone. This view is
corroborated by the statement of Mr. E. K. Walters, of Pecos, that at a
place which I have marked _a_ (therefore to the north of the wall) he
dug out, very near the edge of the bluff, a stone grave, and with it a
human skeleton. The grave was a rectangle, walled up on four sides, with
stones on the top and no floor. The western side was rounded, so as to
present the following plan:--
[Illustration: Grave]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account