Report on the Work at Aztec 



THE season's excavating at the ruined 

 pueblo located at Aztec, New Mexico 

 (continuing last summer's ^vork de- 

 scribed in the November Joukxai, liy Mr. 

 Karl 11. Morris, in cliarge of the work), be- 

 gan June 16 and continued with but two days' 

 interruption until October 17. Heavy storms 

 twice stopped the work but otherwise the 

 weather was londucive to the very best en- 

 deavor. Owing to lack of spring rains and 

 practically no fruit crop, the farmers of the 

 valley would have been obliged to look else- 

 where for work had there been no excavating 

 this season, so that an abundance of labor 

 was available and of a quality unusual be- 

 cause of the intelligent personal interest 

 taken by the men. The problem of clearing 

 the rooms successively and restoring the 

 walls as the digging progresses is one reciuir- 

 ing the best of planning and execution. The 

 large floor beams firmly imbedded in the 

 walls, when broken by the weight of falling 

 floors and walls from above, have been torn 

 out and the walls twisted and shaken, so that 

 the mason in charge must exercise consider- 

 able care that no harm comes to the workers 

 and that the restoration is inade as speedily 

 as possil:>le. It required three masons and 

 two helpers each to keep up with the work. 

 The number of men employed easily aver- 

 aged twenty-five a day and most of the time 

 three teams were kept busy hauling away 

 the rock and earth. 



About fifty rooms and three kivas were 

 dug out (emptied) and the diameter of one 

 other kiva determined which is the largest 

 in the pueblo and more than forty-six feet 

 across on the floor level. The last week's 

 work brought to light rooms on the court 

 facing south which were plastered in bands 

 half white and half red, and in one room 

 under the outer layers of white piaster were 

 found incised figures in the harder gray 

 plaster. They resemble the well-known pic- 

 tographs of the cliff and caves. A satis- 

 factory colored Lumiere process picture was 

 made of this wall. 



Of the burials uncovered the most in- 

 teresting is that of an infant on its papoose 

 carrier. Pack rats had removed many of 

 the bones. Over a layer of corn husks, cobs, 



aiul otlier refuse was placed a worn reed 

 mat and upon it another perfect one, the 

 cradle and child being then deposited on the 

 mat near one side. With this were found in 

 perfect condition a small basket, a tiny boot 

 moccasin, the buckskin covering for the head 

 piece, fringed and decorated with horizontal 

 bands of colored porcupine quills, and a 

 bird bone necklace strung on white buckskin. 

 A ceremonial stick and parts of a wooden 

 baby cradle were not far away. 



The work at Aztec has progressed so far 

 as to warrant some definite historical con- 

 clusions. Pueblo occupation of the vicinity, 

 either continuous or intermittent, lasted 

 through a number of centuries. The great 

 community house came as the culminating 

 architectural achievement of a long period 

 of growth and development, and itself went 

 into partial ruin at least once and perhaps 

 twice, with subsequent repair and reoccupa- 

 tion. The first builders completed the in- 

 tended size and form of tlie fortress village 

 and dwelt in it for generations, if one may 

 judge from the bulk of refuse which ac- 

 cumulated during their occupancy, and from 

 the fact that, during this interval, silt and 

 sand raised the country level along the north 

 side three feet above the foundations of the 

 walls. Then, either because of neglect or 

 entire abandonment, many quarters of the 

 structure partly collapsed, filling the lower 

 rooms with debris. 



Later, as a result, perhaps, of an increase 

 in resident population, but more probably as 

 a consequence of the migration of clans, the 

 partly fallen walls were repaired, new floor 

 levels were laid, and additions were made to 

 the structure on the court side; that is, the 

 dwelling was made to accommodate a greater 

 number of people than had ocnipied it at 

 any previous time. 



Again, after a lapse of many years, the 

 population dwindled to a mere handful. It 

 seems evident that the few remaining fam- 

 ilies were conquered by a hostile band or 

 tribe, which went from room to room of the 

 community house, intentionally setting fire 

 to the ceilings. The ensuing conflagration so 

 damaged the stronghold that it was not 

 again reoccupied.— Clark Wissler. 



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