SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA^. 27 



Dos Pueblos. Boards and posts were found at La Patera, but they marked 

 areas of burials, not habitations.''' That each tribe or village had a general 

 " council-house," or some special edifice of a public nature, is very prob- 

 able, and Boscana has described a structure in the vicinity of the mission of 

 San Juan Capistrano, which he designates as a temple or Vanquech, in 

 honor of their god Chinigchinich. This "temple" seems to have consisted 

 simply of two circular fences, one of which was six feet high, and as they 

 were not roofed in, the "temple" was very much like the staked areas of 

 the Indian tribes of the Atlantic coast, and in which they performed some 

 of their ceremonies. The "temescal" or subterranean "sweat-house" was 

 also a public institution which seems to have existed throughout the whole 

 State.* 



In Cabrillo's Journal mention is made of enclosures which were be- 

 lieved to be temples. * * * " and they have an enclosure like a circle, 

 and around the enclosure are many blocks of stone placed in the ground 

 and reaching above the surface about three palms in height, and in the 

 middle of the enclosure are many sticks of timber driven into the ground 

 like thick masts, and on these posts are many pictures, and we believe they 

 worship there, for when they dance they caper around the enclosure." 



Mr. Paul Schumacher, who has made very extensive explorations of 

 the ancient village sites on the coast of California and Oregon, has described! 

 in detail one of these sites or shell -mounds, and states that either a natural 

 sandy place, properly located in regard to water, food, and safety from sur- 

 prise by enemies, was selected, or in case of other things proving a desir- 

 able location and the sand wanting, the latter was brought to the place, as 

 in the site he describes on the Island of Santa Cruz in the Santa Barbara 

 Channel. In his description he states that the sites of the former houses 

 are shown by the depression on the surface of the shellheap, while "the 

 original depth may occasionally be traced by still remaining upright boards 

 of the former subterranean enclosure. After the erection of the dwellings 

 the accumulation of the kjokkenmoddings began to spread all over the 

 town-site, but was kept imbedded in sand by fresh supplies, thus raising 



•Descriptions and figures of the several forms of houses are given in Power's "Tribes of 

 California." 



t Popular Science Monthly, Jan., 1877, p. 253. 



