Page:Houses and House-Life of the American Aborigines.djvu/240



About sixty miles north of the pueblos on the Chaco, and in the valley of the Animas River, is a cluster of stone pueblos, very similar to the former. These I visited in 1878. The valley is broad at this point, and for some miles above and below to its mouth. At the time of our visit (July 22) the river was a broad stream, carrying a large volume of water. We followed down the river from the point of its rise in the dividing range, where it was a mere brook, nearly the whole distance through Silverton to Animas City. The constant accession of mountain streams, and the rapid descent of its bed, soon changed it into a noisy and dashing stream About twenty miles above Animas City we were compelled to ascend to the top of the bordering mountains to avoid the narrow cañon below, which was impassable; and in descending from Animas City to visit these pueblos we crossed over to the La Plata Valle}^, and after passing through this valley we recrossed to the Animas Valley to avoid similar cañons also impassable. The supply of water for irrigation at the pueblo was abundant.

The pueblo of which the ground plan is shown. Fig. 40, is one of four situated within the extent of one mile on the west side of the Animas River in New Mexico, about twelve miles above its mouth Besides these four, there are five other smaller ruins of inferior structures within the same area. This pueblo was five or perhaps six stories high, consisting of a main building three hundred and sixty-eight feet long, and two wings two hundred and seventy feet long, measured along the external wall on the right and left sides, and one hundred and ninety-nine feet measured along the inside