160 THE CLIFF RUINS OF CANYON DE CHELLY [evi ann. 16 
constructive to a real decorative feature. Here we have the beginning 
of that architecture which has been defined by Ferguson as ‘orna- 
mental and ornamented construction”—in other words, of architecture 
as an art rather than as a craft. 
The use of an exterior finish of plaster was conducive to poor masonry. 
Such plastering is found throughout the region, but it is much more 
abundant in the modern than in the ancient work. Perhaps we may 
find in this a suggestion of relative age; not in the use of plastering, 
but in its prevalence. 
Pueblo masonry is composed of yery small units, and the results 
obtained testify to the patience and industry of the builders rather 
than to their knowledge and skill. In fact, their knowledge of con- 
struction was far more limited than would at first sight be supposed. 
The marked tabular character of the stone used rendered but a small 
amount of preparation necessary for even the best masonry. For over 
90 per cent of it there was no preparation other than the selection of 
material. The walls and buildings were always modified to suit the 
ground, never the reverse, and instances in which the site was pre- 
pared are very rare, if not indeed unknown. There are no such- 
instances in De Chelly, where sites were often irregular, and a small 
amount of work would have rendered them much more desirable. 
Plate Lvit shows a type of masonry which is quite common in De 
Chelly. It is the west room of ruin 16, near the mouth of Del 
Muerto An attempt at regularity, and possibly at decorative effect, 
is apparent in the use of courses of fairly uniform thickness, alternat- 
ing with other courses or belts composed of small thin fragments. 
Beautiful examples of masonry constructed on this method occur in 
the Chaco ruins, but here, while the method was known, the execution 
was careless or faulty. Chinking with small spalls has been exten- 
sively practiced and gives the wall an appearance of smoothness and 
finish. A similar wall, rather better constructed, occurs at the point 
marked 3 on the map, and in this case the stones composing the wall 
were rubbed down in situ. Another wall, which occurs in the same 
ruin, is shown in plate Lyi. In places very large stones have been 
used, larger than one man could handle conveniently, but the general 
effect of the wall face is very good. This effect was obtained by plac- 
ing the best face of the stone outward and by careful chinking. 
Chinking was sometimes done, not with slips of stone driven in with a 
hammer, after the usual style, but with bits of mud pressed in with 
the fingers. The mud was used when about the consistency of model- 
ing clay, and bears the imprints of the fingers that applied it; even the 
skin markings show clearly and distinctly. From this use of mud to 
its use as an exterior plaster there is but a short step; in fact, examples 
which are intermediate can be seen throughout the canyon. In places 
mud has been applied to small cracks and cavities in larger quanti- 
ties than was necessary, and the excess has been smoothed over the 
