FEWKES: RELATIONSHIP OF SUN TEMPLE 217 



is the younger, mainly because it shows unmistakable evidences of a 

 higher sociological condition of the builders; but here again we enter a 

 realm of speculation which merely adds to the mystery of the building. 

 Comment has been made on the fact that practically no household 

 implements were found in the rooms, which has been interpreted to 

 mean that the building was never finished. It also signifies that the 

 workmen did not live in or near it during construction. On the theory 

 that this building was erected by people from several neighboring cliff 

 dwellings for ceremonies held in common, we may suppose that the 

 builders came daily from their dwellings in Cliff Palace and other 

 houses and returned at night, after they had finished work, to their 

 homes. The trails down the sides of the cliffs, which the workmen 

 used, are still to be seen. The place was frequented by many people, 

 but there is no evidence that any one clan dwelt near this mysterious 

 building during its construction. 



Perhaps the most important result of my explorations at the 

 Mesa Verde National Park last summer was the unearthing for 

 the first time of this large, mysterious building bearing evidence 

 that it was constructed solely for religious purposes. This in- 

 terpretation is very important, if correct; and in order to test 

 the theory by reference to other ruins I have studied in a com- 

 parative way related structures that have certain architectural 

 features in common with Sun Temple. Among the most strik- 

 ing of these are the problematical buildings known as "towers," 

 represented by a number of examples in southwestern Colorado 

 and southeastern Utah. 



The existence along the Lower Mancos, on the San Juan, and 

 in the canyons of the McElmo, of a type of ruins hitherto un- 

 recorded in the Southwest, designated as " towers," was made 

 known in 1876 and 1879 by Mr. W. H. Jackson 8 and Mr. W. H. 

 Holmes. 4 Since that date, now almost 40 years ago, the figures 

 they published have been frequently reprinted, 5 but the buildings 

 themselves still await systematic excavation and study. Work 



3 Ancient Ruins in Southwestern Colorado. Rept. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. 

 1876. 



4 Report on the Ancient Ruins of Southwestern Colorado examined during 

 the Summers of 1875 and 1S76. 10th Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Surv. 1879. 



5 In Search for a lost race, Illustrated American, Ma}^ 1892. In this ar- 

 ticle Mr. Gunckel adds a few new observations of interest, mainly regarding 

 distribution of towers; no excavations were made. See also, Peet, Stephen 

 Denison: The Cliff Dwellers and Pueblos. American Antiquarian, Chicago, 1899. 



