56 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 51 



considerable magnitude, and the repair of the kiva wall was ver}' 

 difficult, as it was necessaiy to reconstruct the foundations that had 

 been blasted away to make the opening above mentioned. 



When this debris was removed and the floor of the kiva was 

 reached, it was found that its walls were much disintegrated, the 

 component stones having practically turned into sand, necessitating 

 the construction of buttresses to support them. The dimensions of 

 kiva I are as follow^s : The height of the top of the wall from the floor 

 is 8 feet, and that of the pilasters 6 feet 8 inches. The banquette 

 rises 3 feet 8 inches above the floor. The interior diameter of the 

 kiva is 10 feet 10 inches. The number of pedestals is 4, averaging 

 4 feet in height. 



The flue is situated at the southwestern side. The distance from 

 the flue to the deflector is 21 inches; from the deflector to the fire-hole, 

 2 inches. There are two mural niches, one at the northeast measuring 

 13 by 11 by 8 inches, and one at the southeast measuring 13 by 11 by 7 

 inches. A dado, painted red, surrounded the kiva, the color being 

 most conspicuous, because best protected, in the mural niches, half 

 of which are above, half below the upper margin of the dado. On 

 this margin are traceable triangTilar figures like those on the painted 

 wall of room 11. 



On the level of what w^as formerly the roof of this kiva was set into 

 the roof a vase covered with a flat stone and containing desiccated 

 bodies of lizards." 



Kiva J is round; it is 14 feet in diameter and measures 8 feet 4 

 inches from the floor to the top of the wall. The height from the 

 floor to the top of one of the pilasters is 5 feet 10 inches. The ban- 

 quette is 3 feet 2 inches high. The deep banquette, as is usually the 

 case, is above the flue, which opens in the southwestern wall. The 

 number of pedestals is G; their average breadth is 2 feet. The 

 deflector consists of a stone wall rising 20 inches above the kiva floor. 

 There are 7 mural niches. The kiva walls were thickly plastered 

 with adobe, and show the action of smoke.'' 



The open space east of the kiva,- formerly continuous with its roof, 

 is somewhat larger than is usually the case, making this the largest 

 plaza in Cliff Palace, except that of the plaza quarter. There are 

 remnants of rooms southwest of the kiva. 



" For a note on a similar vase and its use, see remarks on liiva S. It is probable that 

 these dried lizards were regarded by the ('liflf Palace priests as very potent " medicine." 



'' From all appearances the kivas wel'e plastered from time to time after the walls had 

 become blackened. 



