FEWKES] CASA GRANDE MOUNDS 93 
11. NORTHEAST PLAZA 
The removal of earth to a depth necessary to show the original height of the walls 
about this plaza was a work of some magnitude, but was accomplished in a short 
time.... The plaza (plate xxvumt, a) [here, pl. 24] was not apparent until after the 
position of the northeast angle of the compound-had been determined and the walls 
of the northeast building had been excavated. 
The situation of this plaza and the fact that no doorways opened into it or terraced 
roofs looked down upon it imply that it was not a favorite one for ceremonial dances 
or spectacular performances. As the walls about it are, as a rule, massive, the plaza 
may have served as a safe place to which to flee for protection, and it is probable that 
cabins, not unlike the Pima huts of the last generation, were temporarily erected in 
this and other plazas. 
12. CENTRAL PLAZA 
The centrally placed, and on that account probably the most sacred, plaza . . . of 
Compound A is surrounded by buildings, the roofs of which no doubt served as eleva- 
tions from which spectators could witness the sacred dances and games. The floor of 
this plaza was solid, apparently hardened by constant tramping of feet. The labor 
involved in cutting down the earth in this plaza to the former floor was considerable, 
it being necessary to remove many cubic yards of grout that had fallen from the thick 
walls of the northeast building and the six ceremonial rooms. The southwest corner 
of the plaza was not excavated, because of a large stake to which is attached the iron 
rod that serves as a guy for the northeast corner of the roof built over the ruin. 
The plaza appears to have been used as a burial place, for a human skeleton was 
dug out of the floor near its southeast corner; but the body might have been buried 
after the compound had been deserted. 
There were excavated from this plaza, near the passageway west of the tall wall of 
Font’s room, the skeleton of an eagle and several rabbit bones. It was probably cus- 
tomary at Casa Grande to domesticate eagles for their feathers and to keep them in 
confinement. 
13. EAST PLAZA 
This plaza was almost wholly surrounded by rooms, and from its position was evi- 
dently one of the most popular of all the inclosures of this kind. From the roof of the 
main building one could probably look over Font’s room into this plaza. Although 
the plaza isa small one, its eastern position would give it considerable ceremonial im- 
portance. The accumulated earth was cut down to the original level and removed 
outside the compound. There does not seem to be sufficient evidence that there was 
an eastern entrance way to this plaza, although it was looked for when excavations 
were made... . 
14, SOUTHWEST PLAZA 
This plaza [pl. 14, upper] adjoins the west wall of the compound, extending from the 
rooms southwest of the main ruin to the first of the cluster of rooms in the southwest 
angle. Although large quantities of earth were removed from this enclosure, it has 
not been wholly leveled to the floor, especially on the east side, near a wall which is a 
continuation of the rooms at the southwest corner of the main ruin. This wall was 
exposed along its whole length, but showed no rooms on the west side, although proba- 
bly there are several on the east, or unexcavated, side. . . . 
15. SOUTH COURT 
A long court extends across the whole south end of the compound from the southwest 
cluster of rooms to the east wall. Its form suggests a ball court or course for foot races. 
In connection with the former suggestion it is interesting to note that several stone 
