FEWKES] PUEBLO VIEJO KUINS l7l 



Epley's Ruin 



This is the largest ruin iu the vicinitj' of Solomonville, and lies on 

 the outskirts of the town, on the road to San Jose. From its position 

 it was the most convenient to study, and considerable work was done 

 in the mounds which compose it. The majority of the mounds had, 

 however, been leveled to the surface of the plain bj' Mr Eplej-, and 

 as the place is a favorite quarry for adobe makers, their excavations 

 have destroyed most of the ancient walls. 



Just back of the Epley farmhouse there still existed (1897) one 

 of the tallest mounds, which had been partiallj- excavated by Mr 

 Adams. The author's party continued his work, but discovered 

 nothing of interest save the walls of rooms, all of which were of 

 great thickness. From the size and position of the cluster the author 

 concluded that it was the remains of the central building or citadel 

 of the groujD. 



The smaller mounds which dotted the farm around it were traced 

 almost to the river bank. The renuxius of house walls could be dis- 

 covered in most of these, but excavations in the majority of the rooms 

 developed very little of archeological worth. A few large ollas made 

 of rough ware were taken from the mounds at the eastern end of 

 the farm, but thej' were all broken. One or two slipper-shaped jars 

 and food bowls of decorated ware were dug from the same rooms. 

 Perhaps the most important objects from Epley's ruin were the 

 skeletons of two infants, buried in the floor, accompanied bj* mortuary 

 bowls and small vases. 



A considerable number of whole bowls and vases were offered for 

 sale bj' persons, mainlj' Mexicans, living in the neighborhood. It 

 was reported that these had been taken from P^plej^'s ruin by the 

 adolie makers, and there is no doubt that such was the case. 



While the author was at the ruin a party of these laborers unearthed 

 from the level land, a hundred yards east of Eple}''s house, a deco- 

 rated vase (plate lxviii) filled with burnt human bones, which were 

 secured and added to the collections. 



It was customary, before the burial of these cinerary urns, to cover 

 the orifice with a circular burnt-clay disk, which was carefully luted 

 in place with adobe. These urns were deposited not far from the 

 pj-ral mounds, on which the cremation occurred, and were buried onlj' 

 a few feet below the surface of the ground. The adobe diggers 

 reported that they always found a number of these ollas in close 

 approximation, and that burnt bones were generally found within 

 them. 



BuENA Vista 



The best preserved of all the mounds in the Pueblo Yiejo which 

 were visited is situated at Buena Vista, a few miles east and north of 

 San Jose, and is probably the ruin which gave the name to the 



