HOLMES.] EOCK INSCRIPTIONS. 401 



lores our party was compelled to make very rapid marches, and I found 

 it impossible to turn out of the trail long enough to make a satisfactory 

 study of the ruins that occur by the way. 



At one locality which I took to be Surouara* there appeared on our 

 left a very extensive series of ruins, and it was a sore disappointment 

 to be compelled to pass by without even a halt. 



About the sources of the Hovenweep and Montezuma creeks there 

 are occasional ruins of no great importance. In the vicinity of the Sierra 

 Abajo I found no traces of ancient occupation further than a few arrow- 

 points and fragments of chipped quartzite. Little or no trace of ancient 

 occupation was observed north of a line between the Sierra Abajo and 

 main peaks of the La Plata Mountains. 



A very large and interesting ruinf occurs on the Animas Eiver, near 

 the southeast corner of our district for 1875, which seems to bear a very 

 close relationship in its architecture to the ruins of the Eio Chaco. 

 Unfortunately, no plans of this ruin have been made. 



PLATE XLI. — RUIN AT OJO CALIENTE, NEW MEXICO. 



For the sake of comparison, I present in Plate XLI the ground-plan of 

 a ruined pueblo found at Ojo Caiiente, New Mexico. It occurs on a high, 

 almost isolated fragment of terrace near Caiiente Creek. It has been 

 constructed chiefly of adobe, and has consisted of rows of apartments 

 surrounding a number of large open courts. Individual walls cannot 

 be traced, and the rows of houses are reduced to smooth rounded ridges 

 of earth. These are indicated on the plan, and are often as much as 

 8 feet high, and 30 feet wide at the base. The courts contain a num- 

 ber of small circles or mounds, a, a, and the single estvfa is identical in 

 appearance with those among the ruins of Colorado. A number of 

 openings, b, b, through the walls indicate the location ©f gate-ways. Me- 

 tates, arrow-heads, and many fragments of pottery were found. Many 

 other groups of ruins similar to this occur in this as well as in the neigh- 

 boring valleys. Near Abiquiu a large pueblo occurs, at which I found 

 a stone axe and a number of .arrowheads and metates. A couple of 

 skeletons were also obtained here. This ruin is described at length by 

 Dr. Yarrow in his report for 18744 



PLATES XLII AND XLIII. 



Although it is quite impossible to read the curious rock-inscriptions of 

 unknown tribes, it is conceded that in most cases they have a meaning 

 and represent an idea or record an event. Aside from this, however, 

 they are valuable to the historian as records of the grade of civilization 

 reached by the tribes who executed them. 



That the examples given in the two following plates belong to the 

 age of the cliff-builders cannot be satisfactorily proved, but, at the same 



* Of these ruins Dr. Newberry says: "The houses are, many of them, large, and all 

 of them built of stone, hammer-dressed on the exposed faces. Fragments of pottery 

 are exceedingly common, though, like the buildings, showing great age. There is every 

 evidence that a large population resided here for many years, perhaps centuries, and 

 that they deserted it several hundred years ago ; that they were Pueblo Indians, and 

 hence peaceful, industrious, and agricultural, * * * The ruins of several large 

 reservoirs, built of masonry, maybe seen at Surouara, and there are traces of aciquias, 

 which le<i to these, through which waterwas brought, perhaps, from a great distance." 



tSee Dr. Endlich's report, Annual Eeport of United States Geological Survey, for 

 1875, p. 177 ; also, Mr. Rhoda's report, p. 240. See also Dr. Newberry's Eeport, Expe 

 dition to the Junction of Grand and Green Rivers, p. 80. 



t Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1875, p. l{Xi4. 



20 G- 



