210 ABORIGINAL REMAINS IN VERDE VALLEY. [eih.ann. 13 



distance away; and, althougli detached rooms were built in certain 

 cases, tliere was always a strong reason for such exceptions to the gen- 

 eral rule. At a late period in the history of the Pueblos this rule was 

 not so much adhered to as before, and detached houses were often 

 built at such jioiuts as the fancy or convenience of the builder 

 might dictate. As the traditions are broken down the tendency to 

 depart from the old rule becomes more decided, and at the present day 

 several of the older Pueblo villages are being gradually abandoned for 

 the more convenient detached dwellings, while nearly all of them have 

 sufiered more or less from this cause. 



The tendency to cluster rooms in one large compact group was 

 undoubtedly due primarily to hostile pressure from outside, and as this 

 pressure dectrcased the inherent inconveniences of the plan would assert 

 themselves and the rule would be less and less closely adhered to. It 

 therefore follows that, in the absence of other sufficient cause, the 

 presence of detached rooms or small clusters may be taken in a general 

 way to indicate a more recent occupancy than a ground plan of a com- 

 pact, closely built village. 



The size of rooms is closely connected with the character of the site 

 occupied. "When, owing to hostile pressure, villages were built on sites 

 difficult of access, and when the rooms were crowded together into 

 clusters in order to produce an easily defended structure, the rooms 

 themselves were necessarily small; but when hostile pressure from 

 surrounding or outside tribes became less pronounced, the pueblo- 

 builders consulted convenience more, and larger rooms were built. 

 This has occurred in many of the pueblos and iu the ruins, and in a 

 general way a ruin consisting of large rooms is apt to be more modern 

 than one consisting of small rooms; and where large and small rooms 

 occur together there is a fiiir presumption that the occupancy of the 

 village extended over a period when hostile pressure was pronounced 

 and when it became less strong. It has already been shown that, owing 

 to the social system of the pueblo-builders, there is almost always 

 growth in a village, although the population may remain stationary iu 

 numbers or even decrease; so that, until a village is abandoned it will 

 follow the general rule of development sketched above. 



Along the southern side of Clear creek, which discharges into the 

 Kio Verde from the east, about 4 miles below Verde, there is a flat ter- 

 race from 30 to 40 feet above the creek and some 2 or 3 miles in length. 

 Scattered over almost the whole of this terrace are remains of houses 

 and horticultural works, which will be described later. Near the west- 

 ern end of the terrace a low hill with flat top and rounded sides rises, 

 and on the top of this occurs the ruin whose ground plan is shown in 

 figure 285. 



This ruin commands aii outlook over the whole extent of the terrace 

 and seems to have been the home pueblo with which were connected 

 the numerous single houses whose remains cover the terrace. The 



