7 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 81 
temper, the walls being composed solely of clay or adobe, they are 
exceedingly durable and hard, especially after they are plastered. 
A small amount of sand enters naturally into the composition of the 
clay in this section of the country. 
The vast amount of labor involved in the building of a pueblo such 
as this can easily be imagined. The workmanship is far superior to 
that of any found in modern pueblos. 
After the laying and the drying of the wall was completed a coat 
of wash was put on. The largest number of coats of wash found on 
a wall at this ruin was 23. This was in a single room in the main 
row of the west wall of plaza No. 1. The smallest number of coats, 
which seemed to be a pretty good average all over the ruin, was 17. 
In some cases the wash had a heavy base of gypsum and must have 
presented a handsome appearance. (PI. 6.) . 
In three different places—two in the west row of plaza No. 1 and 
one in the south row of the same plaza—were small sections of 
painted plaster in combinations of red and black, red and yellow, 
and red, yellow, and black. Whether these were ceremonial paintings 
or only bands of color running around the rooms we were unable to 
determine, as the plastering fell from the walls as the rooms were ex- 
cavated, and only small bits were recovered. These were carefully 
preserved and are now in the collection. 
That the walls were originally in good plumb is still evident. 
Some of them are now badly bulged out, but I think this is due to 
the masses which fell into the rooms and disturbed the original line. 
One case (pl. 7), the dividing line between rooms 23 and 24, location 
3, is of extreme interest. Mr. Bradfield, who was in the field with 
me, contends that the upper-story wall slid from its base and now 
rests on the ground floor. The Indians, however, contend that the 
original wall of the lower story for.some reason could not support 
the upper one, and when the upper one was put on the lower part 
started to buckle, and to prevent it from completely collapsing a 
socket or brace of adobe was placed against the base of the lower 
wall to retain it and give the proper support. Only one other case 
of this kind wasfound. This occurred between rooms 5 and 6, location 
12. Here the supporting wall was marked even more plainly and 
the evidence was more conclusive, the general appearance being that 
of a double wall. The retaining wall, full thickness, began at the 
south end of the rooms and extended toward the north, and at about 
three-fourths of the length of the room diminished in thickness until 
it finally disappeared, entirely blending with the original wall. 
The use of the supporting wall of adobe is well known to the 
Indians of to-day, and I know of at least two cases of this kind in 
Santa Clara, as well as cases in the Mexican villages. In only one 
