Ra uu LL 
ENVIRONS OF. THE PUEBLO OF OLD ZURI. 41 
they are situated, from ten to fifteen hundred feet above the valley. Our Indian guide, with whom 
we had no medium of communication, probably intending to show us the greatest curiosity of 
the place, led us across the flat top of the mountain, and pointed to an isolated sandstone pillar, 
several hundred feet in height, the top of which had been curiously worn into shapes resembling 
statues of human beings. This was evidently the rock which had perpetuated the tradition of 
the pair who had been sacrificed at the flood. "There were represented, as in plate 33, four 
distinct figures—an apparent discrepancy. But a view was taken from the present town of 
Zuni; and though the artist was ignorant of the legend, the sketch shows but two statues. 
The others were not visible from that point. 
PLATE 33. 
Legendary statues. 
When we had visited the famous ruins of Old Zuñi, our conductor led us to one of Pedro 
Pino's sacred spots, adorned with notched sticks, feathers, shells, and netted twine. A view of 
this curious altar is shown in plate 34. It was interesting to find that one of the governor’s 
most improbable tales proved strictly true. When we left, the guide scattered flour over the 
place, and muttered a prayer. One of the most remarkable circumstances regarding the insignia 
64 
