28. BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 51 



Plaza Quarter 



The plaza quarter, as its name indicates, is a large open space, the 

 floor of which is formed mainly by the contiguous roofs of the sev- 

 eral kivas (K to O) that are sunk below it. The main entrance to the 

 village opens into this plaza at its northwestern corner, and on the 

 northern side it is continued into a court which connects with the 

 main street or alley of the clitf village. From its position, relations, 

 and other considerations, it is supposed that this quarter was an im- 

 portant section of Clilf Palace and that here were held some of the 

 large open-air gatherings of the inhabitants of the place; here also 

 no doubt were celebrated the sacred dances which we have every 

 reason to believe were at times performed by the former inhabitants. 

 The roof levels of kivas H and I did not contribute to the size of the 

 main plaza, but show" good evidence of later construction. Judging 

 from the number of fireplaces in this quarter there is reason to be- 

 lieve that much cooking was done in this open space, in addition to 

 its use for ceremonial or other gatherings of the inhabitants. 



Or.n Quarter 



The section of Cliff Palace that has been designated the old quarter 

 (pis. 14, 15) lies between a line drawn from the main entrance of the 

 ruin to the rear of the cave and the extreme northern end, cuhuiuating 

 in a high castle-like cluster of rooms. It may Avell be called one of the 

 most important sections of Cliff Palace, containing, as it does, the 

 largest number of rooms, the most varied architecture, and the best 

 masonry. Its protected situation under the roof of the cave is such 

 that we may consider it and the adjoining plaza quarter the earliest 

 settled sections of the village. It contains all varieties of inclosures 

 known in cliff-dAvellings: kivas of two types, round rooms, rec- 

 tangular rooms, an alley or a street, and a court. The floor of the 

 cave on which the rooms are built is broadest at this point, which 

 is one of the best protected sites and the least accessible to enemies in 

 the whole building. It may be theoretically supposed that originally 

 the kiva quarter was an annex of this section and that some of the 

 kivas in this quarter may also have been owned and used by the clans 

 which founded Cliff Palace. The old quarter is divided into two 

 parts, a northern and a southern, the former being arbitrarily desig- 

 nated the Speaker-chief's House. The " street ^ running approxi- 

 mately north and south bisects the old quarter, making a front and 



a rear section. 



Northern Quarter 



This quarter (pi. IG) of Cliff Palace extends from the high rocks 

 on which the Speaker-chief's House is perched, in a westerly direction, 

 ending with a milling room and adjacent inclosures 92 to 94, situated 



