NO. 12 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, IQI/ II7 



The Mitchell Spring- Ruin, situated at Old Town or Toltec, 3 miles 

 south of Cortez, first described by Morgan, resembles in type that 

 mentioned above, and consists of several mounds or remains of 

 rectangular buildings and a tower. One of the smaller of these 

 mounds, excavated by Dr. Prudden, had a central circular kiva 

 surrounded by rooms, constructed like those of Far View House. 



The same arrangement of movmds in clusters or villages found 

 at Aztec Springs Ruin and ^Mitchell Spring Ruin occurs also at ]\Iud 

 Spring Ruin (fig. 117). 7 miles from Cortez, at the head of ^IcElmo 

 Canyon. The mounds are numerous and cover a considerable area. 

 The two largest are separated by a gulch in which lies a spring, as 

 at Aztec Springs Ruin. In one of the largest mounds is the so-called 

 "triple-walled tower'' (Holmes) with concentric walls, embedded 

 in rectangular rooms. 



There are several other ruins of the clustered mound or village 

 type in the Montezuma \"alley, but in many the smaller mounds 

 have disappeared under cultivation of the land. Among these may be 

 mentioned Goodman Point Ruin (fig. 1 18), and that on the Blanchard 

 Ranch (fig. 119), stones from which were removed to Manitou a few 

 years ago to construct a cliff-house in imitation of Cliff Palace and 

 Sprucetree House. Xone of the stones used in the construction of 

 the Manitou reproduction came from Mesa ^'erde. 



The W'olley Ranch Ruin, about 10 miles south of Dolores, is a 

 good example of a pure pueblo type of ruin. About all that remains 

 of a former cluster of mounds is the largest, now so overgrown 

 with ])ushes that architectural details are difficult to observe, but 

 there are evidences that it was a rectangular building with enclosed 

 circular kivas, but without courts or passageways. 



In their general features the groups of mounds in the Montezuma 

 \ allc}- resemble the cluster at .Mummy Lake, on the Mesa \'erde, 

 both in arrangement and in their individual structure, so far as can 

 be judged from the desultory excavations l)y which walls have been 

 brought to light. EaclT mound in a cluster has the same structure 

 as the pure tyi)e found in I ar \ iew 1 louse. The top courses of the 

 walls liave fallen and tilled the rooms with stones and earth. 'Hie 

 cemeteries commonly situated east and south of the mounds have 

 nearly all been ritled of their contents. Certain mounds in the cluster 

 may he remains of ttnvers : others of " great houses " : and the same 

 may also be said of different members of the .Mnmmy Lake grou]). 



This same clustering of mounds, eharactei'istir of the Montezuma 

 \ alley ruins, occurs also in llio^e situated in llie broken counlr\- 



