﻿TWO 
  CHACO 
  CANYON 
  PIT 
  HOUSES. 
  1 
  

  

  By 
  Neil 
  M. 
  Judd, 
  

   Curator, 
  American 
  Archeology, 
  U. 
  8. 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  [With 
  7 
  plates.] 
  

  

  In 
  writing 
  or 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  prehistoric 
  habitations 
  of 
  Chaco 
  

   Canyon 
  2 
  one 
  invariably 
  has 
  in 
  mind 
  only 
  the 
  great 
  communal 
  

   dwellings, 
  such 
  as 
  Pueblo 
  Bonito 
  and 
  Pueblo 
  del 
  Arroyo. 
  This 
  

   mental 
  discrimination 
  is 
  the 
  natural 
  one, 
  for 
  these 
  ruins 
  of 
  stone- 
  

   walled, 
  terraced 
  villages 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  best 
  preserved 
  and 
  most 
  

   impressive 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  ancient 
  structures 
  north 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  They 
  

   immediately 
  arrest 
  the 
  attention; 
  they 
  convey, 
  in 
  comparison, 
  so 
  

   colorful 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  busy 
  life 
  once 
  carried 
  on 
  within 
  their 
  now 
  

   silent 
  rooms 
  that 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  contemporaneous, 
  or 
  even 
  more 
  

   ancient, 
  settlements 
  near 
  by 
  are 
  usually 
  entirely 
  disregarded. 
  

  

  Lesser 
  house 
  remains, 
  however, 
  exist 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  in 
  Chaco 
  

   Canyon. 
  There 
  are 
  talus 
  pueblos 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  cliff 
  dwellings 
  

   at 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  perpendicular 
  cliffs 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  north 
  

   wall 
  of 
  the 
  canyon 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  literally 
  hundreds 
  of 
  small 
  ruins 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  along 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  reaches 
  

   of 
  open 
  country 
  that 
  stretch 
  away 
  from 
  its 
  inclosing 
  mesas. 
  The 
  

   presence 
  of 
  these 
  latter 
  structures 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  for 
  many 
  years, 
  

   yet 
  they 
  have 
  received 
  but 
  scant 
  attention 
  from 
  those 
  students 
  of 
  

   prehistoric 
  cultures 
  who 
  have 
  pursued 
  their 
  investigations 
  in 
  the 
  

   Chaco 
  Canyon 
  region. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  these 
  several 
  types 
  of 
  primi- 
  

   tive 
  habitations, 
  two 
  isolated 
  pit 
  houses, 
  vastly 
  more 
  ancient 
  than 
  

   the 
  stone 
  structures 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  discov- 
  

  

  1 
  Printed 
  with 
  the 
  permission 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Society, 
  whose 
  Pueblo 
  Bonito 
  

   expedition 
  is 
  being 
  directed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Judd. 
  

  

  "That 
  portion 
  of 
  Chaco 
  Canyon 
  most 
  densely 
  inhabited 
  in 
  prehistoric 
  times 
  roughly 
  

   parallels 
  the 
  boundary 
  between 
  San 
  Juan 
  and 
  McKinley 
  Counties, 
  N. 
  Mex. 
  ; 
  the 
  stream 
  

   course 
  turns 
  northward 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  this 
  center 
  of 
  population 
  and 
  joins 
  

   the 
  San 
  Juan 
  River 
  In 
  the 
  extreme 
  northwestern 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  Eighteen 
  of 
  the 
  

   major 
  ruins 
  are 
  now 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  Chaco 
  Canyon 
  National 
  Monument, 
  created 
  by 
  presi- 
  

   dential 
  proclamation 
  Mar. 
  11, 
  1907. 
  The 
  Chaco 
  drainage 
  is 
  semidesert 
  in 
  character, 
  with 
  

   but 
  little 
  permanent 
  water 
  and 
  few 
  trees 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  mesas. 
  Navaho 
  Indians 
  

   and 
  a 
  half 
  dozen 
  white 
  settlers 
  and 
  traders, 
  with 
  their 
  families, 
  comprise 
  its 
  present 
  

   inhabitants. 
  

  

  399 
  

  

  