MEMOIRS OF TnE NATIONAL ACADEMY OK SCIENCES. 



145 



tlio traditions of this i)eoplo that soiuo key to the problems might be discovered by e.\|>h)riiit; ruins 

 far tt) the southwest of tlie Zufii villages, where tlie i)eople of Zufii averred their ancestors once 

 dwcih'd. We can uot enter into adetaikMl account of tliese jierplcxin^ questions, nor can we rehite 

 how or why the explorer coiisi(hu-s that he lias solved them. It must be left for him to explain 

 these matters tully at some future time. 



EXPLOUATIONS IN' TIIK SALAlX) VAIJ.KY. 



It was not until the year 188(! that he found the i)ecuniary means to conduct the desired 

 explorations, these being amply supplied by Mrs. :Mary Ilemeuway, of Boston. Mr. Gushing set 

 out with a party of assistants, to which others were afterwards ad<led, and, in February, 1887, 

 arrived iu the neighborhood of the town of Tempe, in the valley of the Balado or Salt Kiver, a 

 tributary of the (rila, in the Territory of Arizona. Here he began by excavating some stone ruins 

 on the rocky uplands, without any extraordinary results, While thus engagetl his attention was 

 attracted to certain earthen mounds situated on the level flood-plain of the Salado, and in particular 

 to one of large size about 8 or niilcs by road from Temp(\ Uo proceeded to examine this mound 

 and its \icinitv. 



with modern towns, cauula, uud lucatiuuB of ajicient cities. 



Fiii. 3.— Map showing a part of the Salt Kivcr Valley, Maricopa County, Ariiui 



This mound seemed at first to be little more than a rude pile of earth. It had an irregular 

 rectangular form, and had some appearance of being terraced. The surrounding level plain, cov- 

 ered with an abundant growth of that leguminous shrub or small tree, the mesquite {Prosojns 

 jidifora D. C), which is so common in the arid lands along our southwestern borders, presented 

 to the untrained eye no remains of human habitation; but fioiu fragments of pottery and other 

 objects strewn over the ground, the ex^dorer was led to believe that something of importance was 

 hidden under the surface. He caused a trench to be dug and soon brought to light the founda- 

 tions of earthen walls. Without delay he established his camp at this place and pursued his 

 excavations with energy. The result was the discovery of an extensive collection of habitations — a 

 city it might be called — some G miles in length and from half a mile to a mile in width. The mound 

 l)roved to be the (h'bris of a great earthen house of many stories and many chambers and analo- 

 gous in structure to the still standing Casa Grande before referred to, which is distant from the 

 mound to the southea,st less than 3.5 miles in a direct line. In the course of excavation at this 

 place so many skeletons were found under the floors of the houses that Mr. Gushing devised for it 

 the Spanish name of Pueblo de los Muertos, or, briefly, Los Muertos, the t<jwn of the dead; and 

 this name was retained for it, although he subsequently found other ruined cities in the vicinity 

 where skeletons were as common as here. 

 S. Mis. 109 10 



