172 TVyO summers' WORK in pueblo ruins [eth ANN 22 



whole valley; San Jose being sometimes called San Jose de Pueblo 

 Viejo. The ruin of Buena Vista is typical of those lower down the 

 river^ — of the mounds less disturbed bj' the farmer. Indeed, it is 

 probably in about the condition in which all the ruins were when 

 Emory passed through the valley. 



The site of the cluster of mounds of Buena Vista is a high bluff, at 

 the base of which, on one side, flows the Gila river. A few modern 

 adobe houses, inhabited by Mexicans, have been built on the bluff, 

 and some of the ancient walls have appai'ently been utilized in these 

 modern structures. The largest and most conspicuous ancient build- 

 ing is an irregular stone structure which is situated somewhat back 

 from the edge of the bluff, and is now used for a corral. The walls 

 which composed it have tumbled down, but enough i-emains to indi- 

 cate its ancient form. Apparently it was formed of many rooms 

 which were built about a central plaza; stones were extensively used 

 in its construction. 



Surrounding this larger stone inelosure there lie at intervals low 

 mounds, some of which betray evidences of rooms, while others are 

 simply ash heaps. Two large circular depressions, a few hundred 

 feet from the central building, are conspicuous. The limits of the 

 cluster of mounds which compose Buena Vista could not easil)' be 

 determined, and probably no two persons would agree upon their 

 extent. The more prominent, however, are sketched in the accom- 

 panying plan (plate lxvi). 



It would hardly be consistent to call this cluster of mounds the 

 ruins of a pueblo, as we ordinarilj' understand the word. They lack 

 compactness and mutual dependence. The houses, save the large 

 central building, ai'e more like farm houses, or isolated buildings, of 

 one story, with a few rooms, inhabited by a single family. The^" may 

 better be known as rancherias, which have been arranged in a cluster 

 for certain mutual advantages. Among these was probably nearness 

 to a central house which might serve as a place of refuge, or, pos- 

 sibly, for ceremonj'. The vicinitj- to the large circular depressions 

 in the ground, which may be interjjreted as reservoirs, was also a 

 decided advantage. The presence of small mounds of ashes near the 

 larger mounds containing remains of house walls would .seem to indi- 

 cate that each family had an individual burning place for its pottery. 

 Possibly the dead were cremated on these mounds, which accounts 

 for the absence of cemeteries, and for the ollas with calcined liumaii 

 bones sometimes found buried in them. 



Architectural!}' there is verj- little likeness between this central 

 large stone inelosure or house with manj' rooms and Casa Gi-ande, the 

 best-known building of the Casa Grande group. This difference is 

 in part due to the character of the building material, but more to the 

 plan of the building itself." The large central stone structure of 



a From Mincleleff's valuable description of the Casa Grande p:i*onpof ruins it appears that Casa 

 Grande was neither centi'al nor the largest structure in the cluster of buildings. 



