180 TWO summers' work in pueblo ruins [eth. ANN. 22 



Undecorated Red Ware 



A number of pieces of pottery of bright red color, made of coarse 

 paste, were found in the Pueblo Yiejo ruins. These were smoothly 

 IJolished on the exterior, but as a rule were not decorated. In gen- 

 eral appearance thej' resemble the ware still made by the Papago 

 Indians, and they were commonly large, narrow-mouthed vases. This 

 kind of ware was found to be abundant in caves where sacrificial 

 vessels were found. Disks made of it often cover cinerary vases. 



Decorated Black and White Ware 



The white ware with black decorations, generally in geometrical 

 designs, was sparingly repi-esented in the Pueblo Viejo ruins, which 

 is in mai-ked contrast to its prominence in cliff houses near the sources 

 of the Gila in New Mexico. This ware is so rare in the vicinity of San 

 Jose that the author is inclined to regard it as intrusive in that region. 



None of the specimens found are at all comparable in the wealth 

 of their ornamental designs with similar ware from ruins in the 

 western part of Socorro cotinty. New Mexico," or in the cliff houses 

 near the sources of the Gila and Salado rivers. 



Decorated Gray Ware 



The characteristic decorated ware of the Gila valley and its tribu- 

 taries is grayish and is decorated with red; a specimen is shown in 

 plate Lxviii. With the exception of a few sporadic specimens whicli 

 have been transported to pueblos, now ruins, north of the White 

 mountains, this ware has not been found in any valley except those 

 of the Gila and its tril)utaries. 



This pottery bears a smooth polish, is never glazed, and is generally 

 decorated with geometrical figures: scrolls, terraces, stars, and key 

 patterns. It assumes a great variety of shapes, and was apparently 

 used in much the same way as is the j-ellow or red ware of northern 

 Arizona. 



DECORATION 



The decoration of the potterj' from this region is maiulj' in geometri- 

 cal patterns, resembling that of the potterj^ from the Little Colorado 

 basin. No specimen with picture writing was found, so that this source 

 of information regarding the mythologj* of the owners is practically 

 wanting. Even pictures of birds, so common north of the Mogol- 

 lones, are absent. The ancient people of the Pueblo Vie.jo had not 

 carried pottery decoration beyond the geometrical stage, as far as can 

 be judged from the sijecimens examined. Food bowls, almost identical 



« The beautiful collections made in this region by Mr H. Hales ai*e now preserved in the 

 National Museum, and are well worth study and description. For an account of the ruins 

 near Tulerosa see N. Francis Duff, The Prehistoric Ruins of the Rio Tulerosa, in Bulletin of the 

 American Geographical Society, v. 29. u. 3, 1897. 



