The North Americans of Antiquity: Their origin, migrations, and type of civilization consideredShort, John T. (John Thomas)
History
The North Americans of Antiquity: Their origin, migrations, and type of civilization considered
Short, John T. (John Thomas)
Indians -- Origin; Indians of Mexico -- Antiquities; Indians of North America -- Antiquities
the narrative tells us that the hollows of the rocks were filled to the
brim with the mingled blood of conquerors and conquered, and red veins
of it ran down into the cañon. It was such a victory as they could not
afford to gain again, and they were glad, when the long fight was
over, to follow their wives and little ones to the south. There, in
the deserts of Arizona, on well-nigh unapproachable isolated bluffs,
they built new towns, and their few descendants, the Moquis, live in
them to this day, preserving more carefully and purely the history and
veneration of their forefathers than their skill or wisdom. It was from
one of their old men that this traditional sketch was obtained.” In a
side cañon, a tower eighteen feet high was seen perched on a huge block
of sandstone which had fallen from the top of the _mesa_ and lodged on
a projecting shelf of rock, midway from top or bottom. Eight or ten
miles westward of the McElmo, Mr. Jackson and his party discovered on
a stream known as the Hovenweep, the ruins of a city. Mr. Jackson’s
description is as follows: “The stream referred to sweeps the foot of a
rocky sandstone ledge, some forty or fifty feet in height, upon which
is built the highest and better-preserved portion of the settlement.
Its semicircular sweep conforms to the ledge, each little house of
the outer circle being built close upon its edge. Below the level of
these upper houses some ten or twelve feet, and within the semicircular
sweep, are seven distinctly marked depressions, each separated from
the other by rocky débris, the lower or first series probably of small
community houses. Upon either flank, and founded upon rocks, are
buildings similar in size and in other respects to the large ones on
the line above. As paced off, the upper or convex surface measured one
hundred yards in length. Each little apartment is small and narrow,
averaging six feet in width and eight feet in length, the walls being
eighteen inches in thickness. The stones of which the entire group is
built are dressed to nearly uniform size and laid in mortar. A peculiar
feature here is in the round corners, one at least appearing upon
nearly every little house. They are turned with considerable care and
skill, being true curves solidly bound together.”
[Illustration: Ruins of the Hovenweep.]
[Illustration: Niche Stairway of Chelly Cañon]
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