44 



always hopelessly barren and dry, for not a vestige of any ruin occurs. 

 At its mouth and along the San Juan, as we have noticed, they appear at 

 once again in considerable numbers. 



Our investigations closed with a side trip up into some of the sterile 

 gorges between the two forks of the Montezuma, but without any 

 results worth especial mention. A few small cliff-bouses occurred, and 

 a few scattered remains about the open lowlands. Upon the tops of the 

 mesas in this vicinity, as well as upon those between the Montezuma and 

 the Hovenweep, were old remains of towns. A glance at the accompany- 

 ing map will give some idea of their distribution, although those about 

 the head of the West Montezuma arev only located approximately, in the 

 absence of any precise notes of its topography. 



POTTEKT. 



On the opposite page, Plate 21, we have grouped a few of the most 

 striking examples of the pottery collected upon the trip, and which forms 

 by far the most iuterestiug of all the relics of the ancient people of the 

 San Juan Valley. All who have ever visited this region, which extends 

 from the Eio Grande to the Colorado, and southward to the Gila, have 

 been impressed v/ith the vast quantities of shattered pottery scattered 

 over the whole land, sometimes where not even a ruin now remains, its 

 more enduring nature enabling it to long outlive all other specimens of 

 their handiwork. It is especially interesting as enabling us to see at a 

 glance the proficiency they had attained in its manufacture and orna- 

 mentation, displaying an appreciation of proportion, and a fertility of 

 invention in decoration, that makes us almost doubt their ante-Colum- 

 bian origin; but nevertheless, without going into the details, we believe 

 them to antedate the Spanish occupancy of this country, and to owe 

 none of their excellence to European influences, being very likely an 

 indigenous product. 



Fig. 1 is a jar from the valley of Epsom Creek, of dark gray and 

 rather coarse material, without color or glaze, of the indented and 

 banded ware peculiar to the ancient artificers only. It is made by 

 drawing the clay into ropes, and then, commenciug at the bottom, build- 

 ing up by a continuous spiral course, each layer overlapping the one 

 under it, the indentation being produced by a pressure with the end of 

 the thumb, and by a slight doubling up of the cord of clay. The design 

 is varied by running several courses around quite plain. Its diameter 

 was 18 inches, with the same height, and 9 inches across the mouth. 

 For so large a vessel it was very thin, not more than one-fourth of an 

 inch. Inside, the surface was rubbed perfectly smooth. 



Figs. 2, 3, 11, are restorations from well-preserved fragments of 

 mugs or cups, each elaborately ornamented in black on a white glazed 

 ground; the last one, especially, is of firm, excellent ware, and the 

 design put on with great precision. The iirst two are 3J inches in 

 diameter and 4 inches high, and the last one 4J inches in diameter by 5 

 inches in height. 



Fig. 4 is a flat disk of pottery for covering ajar. 



Fig. 5 is the small jug found at the great cave ruin on the De Chelly, 

 (Plate 19,) 3 J inches in diameter, of dark gray ware, perfectly round, 

 and very neatly painted. The handle has been' broken off, but leaving 

 the marks where it had been attached. 



Fig. 6. A slightly oval-shaped jar, 10 inches in diamete-r, and a mouth 

 5 inches wide, with the lip rolling over suQisiently to attach a cord to 

 carry it by. 



Fig. 8. A small jug with side-handles and narrow neck, 4J inches in 

 diameter and 1^ inches across mouth. 



