4l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. $2 



has the true compound form or type identical with the Casa Grande 

 and Florence region. 



It is desirable to explore the mounds reported from Gila Bend, 

 which are supposed to be old habitations of the ancestors of the 

 Maricopas. 



II. SANTA CRUZ RIVER COMPOUNDS 



The mounds indicating Casas Grandes along the Santa Cruz 

 have the same general characters as those of the Gila and Salt 

 rivers. The typical compound architecture characteristic of the 

 plains along the Gila almost universally prevails in this region. 



The Santa Cruz is not a constant stream, but in portions of its 

 course may be called a subterranean river, the water literally flow- 

 ing as a subway sometimes at a considerable depth. Near the Gila 

 it is generally just below the surface, but its presence above ground 

 is indicated by alkali lagoons, as at "Cumani," not far from Sacaton 

 Flats. There are several mounds of large size along the valley of 

 this river marking the sites of former Casas Grandes. Among 

 these may be mentioned the Picacho settlement and those in the 

 vicinity of Tucson, the most ancient Spanish settlement in Arizona. 

 Numerous large ruins south of Casa Grande railroad station, near 

 the road to the Vekol and other mines, belong to this same drainage 

 area. 



The Casas Grandes of the Santa Cruz will be considered under the 

 following headings: I, Ruins near Tucson; 2, Chakayuma; 3, 

 Aquituno ; 4, Quitoac ; 5, Ruins near Kwahadt Indian Villages. 



i. RUINS NEAR TUCSON 



The valley of the Santa Cruz from the city of Tucson south 

 appears to have been the most densely populated in prehistoric times. 

 In this part of the valley the stream rose to the surface, and the 

 supply of water was probably more constant here than farther down 

 the river, where it was less available for agricultural purposes. 



The author failed to find in the immediate neighborhood of 

 Tucson any large mounds, such as occur in the deserts near Casa 

 Grande or in the midst of the cultivated fields at Mesa and Phoenix, 

 but near the city there are mounds bearing evidences of several old 

 Indian rancherias or vaaki. 1 These, however, have been consider- 

 ably reduced in size and so worn down that in most instances they 



1 The term bac in San Xavier del Bac, Tubac, and other names of settle- 

 ments or sites may be a contraction of vaaki, old house or old ruined house. 



