SOME RUINS ALONG THE TAPASITA. 53 
the next day for Salt Lake City. In the 
Tapasita valley I expected to find only a 
single well-defined group of ruins. Imag¬ 
ine my surprise, then, upon discovering 
that the entire country, especially in its 
valleys, was covered with such evidences. 
A high hill, called the Picacho de Torreon, 
had been occupied on its southern face by 
cliff dwellers ; at our feet was a mass of 
rubbish that indicated a ruin of the latter 
people. Twelve miles up the Tapasita 
was still another extensive ruin of stone, 
while the intervening space was constantly 
marked by similar remains. In fact, as 
before stated, the whole valley was one 
vast continuation of ruins. We were 
surely on ground once occupied by 
an ancient and dense population—where 
the fertile resources of the country will 
again sustain another and a far more civ- 
