Further Discoveries at the Aztec Ruin 



By E A K' L II. Mo i; K' 1 S 



Illustr;itioiis from i)lu)to};riil)hs liy tlic Aiitlior 



1 NTRODUPTORY XoTE. — All :irtirl(< a] ipca led ill iIh' Amkkican Museum .Jouunal for Feb- 

 ruai'v, 1017, doscribiiisj tlii' great prclii^itoric I'ik'IjId coiiiinniiity-dwelling in northwestern 

 New Mcxiio, coiiiiiioiily known as the Aztec Ruin, ami tln' (oiHlitions uiuler which its excava- 

 tion was liegun liv the American Museuin of X'atural History. The March miniber of the 

 JoUKNAL for the same year contained a brief discussion of the more important specimens 

 which were uneartlied in tlie now famous ruin during the field season of 191G. Since these 

 artiides were wi-itten, tlic Museum's expedition lias sjieiit six months (previous to the summer 

 of liUSi in intensive exjiioration of the Aztec K'uiii, and for the lienelit of tiiuse wliu wisli 

 tt) iscep in touch witli tiie jirogress of the wori\, the foUowiiig description is given of tiie re- 

 suits of tlie Held season of 1917.1 — The ArTiKu;. 



S1\'^^■-^■1XE secular ro.uus an. I 

 .■ight (.•c'lvnioiiial cliaiubtTs, ('(nii- 

 jirisino- a ])art of the south win<i-, 

 all of the east wiii<i-. aud a ]»ai-t of the 

 north wing of the Aztec JJuiu. now 

 stand completely freed of dehris. The 

 ponderous walls, stripped of the shroud 

 of eartli wliieh for centuries protected 

 tlieni from tlu' elements, and more re- 

 cently from the even less considerate 

 hand of man, rise clear before the eye 

 of the visitor, their hat- 

 tered dignity attesting the 

 original magnificence of 

 the structure of which 

 they were a part. 



A glance at the acconi- 

 panying nuip gives a more 

 definite image of the 

 ground plan of that part 

 of the ruin which has heen 

 excavated, and its relation 

 to the area which remains 

 to be cleared, than can he 

 imparted by written words. 

 The excavated part falls 

 into three divisions, based 

 upon differences of ma- 

 sonry and relative time of 

 construction. 



The southeast corner of 

 the ruin, that is, the con- 

 vergent extremities of the 

 east and south wings, was 

 carelessly constructed of 



cohlili'-toiio ami adobe, tile lattt'f in 

 some places having been used to the 

 e\elii>ion of more durable nuiterials. 

 C'onse(|uently the disintegration of 

 these walls was rapid, and today none 

 of them is more than four feet high. 

 What relation this poorly built section 

 may ha\e borne to the main structure 

 offers a perplexing, but an important 

 problem. Because of the identity of 

 construction with the evidently more 



Ground plan of the Aztec ruin showing the relative propor- 

 tions of the excavated and unexcavated sections at the close of 

 the field season of 1917. Shaded walls indicate the parts of the 

 ruin which are cleared (see cut on opposite page). Comparison 

 of this chart with that of 1916 (appearing on page 86 of tlie 

 Journal for February, 1917) will show the amount of work 

 accomplished during the season of 1917 



' Publication of this article has been delayed until the work of the season of 1918 is nearing com- 

 pletion. For facts on the more recent excavation and reconstruction of the Aztec Ruin, see note which 

 will appear in the December issue of the JouRX.M..— The Kuitor. 



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