MiNDELEFFl GROWTH OF ROOM CLUSTERS. 197 



also on the highest ground. Following this the southern cluster was 

 probably built; afterwards the northern cluster was added, and finally 

 the northwestern cluster. Subsequently rooms connecting these 

 clusters and the eastern end of the village were built up, and probably 

 last of all were added the rooms which occupied what was originally 

 the eastern end of the main court. This hypothetic order of building 

 the clusters composing the village is supported by the character of the 

 site and the peculiarities of the ground plan. Most of the rooms in the 

 northwestern cluster and in the eastern part of the village were but one 

 story in height, while the crowding in the interior of the village, direct 

 evidence of which is seen on the ground plan, could take place only 

 after the rooms surrounding that area had been located, and when hos- 

 tile pressure from outside made it undesirable to extend the bounds 

 of the village ; in other words, at the latest stage in the growth of the 

 village. 



The arrangement and distribution of the rooms within the clusters 

 indicate an occupancy extending over a considerable period of time. 

 A reference to the ground plan will show that continuous wall lines 

 are the exception, and it is seldom that more than two or three rooms 

 are grouped together in regular order. In irregularity of arrangement 

 the inhabitants of this village followed a general habit, the result of 

 which can be seen today in all the inhabited villages and in most of 

 the large pueblo ruins. It indicates a steady growth of the village by 

 the addition of rooms, one or two at a time, as they were needed. The 

 division into clusters, however, indicates an aggregation of related 

 gentes or subgentes banded together for protection. Given these con- 

 ditions, (1) bands of related families living near one another; (2) hostile 

 pressure fiom outside; and (3) a site not in itself easily defended, and a 

 ground plan sinular to the one under discussion must result. Single 

 detached rooms would not be built when the village might be attacked 

 at any time, but they might be added during periods of peace and, the 

 conditions being favorable, they might form the nuclei of other clusters. 

 It is possible that some of the clusters forming this village had their 

 origin in this manner, but this question can not be determined from the 

 ground plan, as a similar result would be produced by the advent of a 

 small baud of related families. 



Growth in number of rooms does not necessarily indicate growth in 

 poi^ulatiou, and this qualification must not be lost sight of in the dis- 

 cussion of pueblo ground plans. Among the Pueblos of today, descent, 

 in real property at least, is in the female line; when a man marries he 

 becomes a member of his wife's family and leaves his own home to live 

 with his wife's people. If the wife's home is not large enough to con- 

 tain all tlie members of the household, additional rooms are built adjoin- 

 ing and connected with those previously occupied. It may be mentioned 

 in this connection that the women build the houses, although the men 

 supply the material and do the heavy work. The result of this custom 

 may be readily seen : a family in which there are many daughters must 



