Part 6 (2/2)

15.73 m.--170 ft. 51 ft. Still, I believe that a sensible narrowing (possibly of nearly 2.0 m.--6 ft. 6 in.--) may have taken place up to _ee_; but this is compensated by the strengthening of the corners, which there are rounded outwards, so that the line _e e_ presents about the same length as _f f_. Thereupon follows the open pa.s.sage _E_, which is 3.40 m.--11 ft. wide, and north of it a rectangle of 3 longitudinal rows of 3 apartments, _two_ of which rows are on the eastern slope. The width of the rooms appears to be the same as that in the former section, whereas their length from N. to S. is respectively 6.10 m., 4.27 m., and 5.44 m.--20 ft., 14 ft., and 18 ft. It is therefore a rectangle of 15.81 m. 15.73 m.--51 ft. 51 ft. North of it is an open s.p.a.ce marked C, 3.13 m.--10 ft.--wide, in which I could detect no longitudinal part.i.tion, except one closing its western outlet towards the court. I have therefore left it an open question, and marked it as an alley or corridor. It may yet prove to have contained six rooms on the ground; but, as this is uncertain, the rooms that may have existed are not included in the computation of cells. North of the line _b b_ begins the section _a B b b_, which is very badly ruined. This forms also the north-east angle of the whole building, and whose northern line (_a B_) shows the part.i.tions of six chambers, each 2 m.--6 ft. 6 in. wide, each one indicating a longitudinal row of 4 rooms, respectively 2.83 m.--9 ft.--each from N. to S. It would indicate a rectangle of 11.32 m.

12.00 m.--37 ft. 40 ft. Of its six rows of rooms, three are on the slope.

From _a_ to A extends the main northern wall of the structure. It is very strong, .78 m.--2 ft. 6 in.--wide, and constructed as follows, Pl.

V., Fig. IX.:--

_a_, the outer wall, is 0.33 m.--13 in.--wide.

_b_, filling of mud, is 0.17 m.--6 in.--wide (this filling is both earth and gravel).

_c_, inner wall, is 0.28 m.--11 in.--wide.

The width of the inner wall being the average thickness of all the other walls in the whole house, the suggestion is not improbable that it was built first, and the outer one, which is made of larger stones, added subsequently for additional strength, and the interstice filled up as the work rose.

The line _a A_ is 17.28 m.--56 ft.--long. From _A_ it runs down to the south for 8.10 m.--27 ft.--, thence east, 17.28 m.--56 ft.--, to connect with the north-east corner of the eastern wing. It thus forms an aisle, and at the same time closes the court to the north. A rectangle of 8.10 m. 17.28--27 ft. 56 ft.--consists of 4 longitudinal sections of 3 rooms each, which, while their length is uniformly 2.70 m.--9 ft.--(from N. to S.), have widths from W. to E. of 5.46 m., 3.18 m., and 3.62 m.--18 ft., 10 ft., and 12 ft. All the rooms are on the same level, and they are the largest and best preserved of any in the entire area of ruins. Room _I_ has even an unimpaired roof.

The north wall of _a A_ stands out boldly on the highest crest of the _mesilla_. Below it northwards, a small hill of stones, from which timbers occasionally protrude, forms a tumbled and confused slope of inextricable ruin; and beyond this slope there extend the foundations of walls on the level _mesilla_ up to 10 m.--33 ft.--from the northern transverse part of the general circ.u.mvallation, which there is 45 m.--148 ft.--from _a A_, and 30 m.--100 ft.--long from W. to E. It thus appears that the building _A_ had its northern annex as well as the house _B_. To this annex I shall hereafter return.

West of line _A n_ there runs alongside of it the interesting gateway _G_, 2 m.--6 ft. 6 in.--wide, its bottom somewhat higher than the floor of the adjoining rooms,[118] and forming, as before stated, the north-westerly entrance to the great inner court. It is perfectly straight on the east as far as _r_; but then a heavy bank of stones and gravel starts out like a lower continuation of the wall _a A_, and winds down, curving, till close to the western circ.u.mvallation on the edge of the _mesilla_. It thus forms a northern embankment to the gateway.

Almost parallel to it, on the opposite side of _n r_, the conical mound or tower H const.i.tutes the western and southern wall of the pa.s.sage _G_. This pa.s.sage is therefore nearly semicircular. It is level from _n_ to _r_, and thence descends steeply towards the edge of the _mesilla_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE X VIEW OF Pa.s.sAGE G, BUILDING A, FROM THE NORTH.]

The mound _H_ describes about two-thirds of a circle. Its base at the south is 6 m.--20 ft.--from E. to W.; its diameter, 6.85 m.--23 ft; its actual height, about 1.5 m.--5 ft. It is conical, and appears to be a round heap of earth and rocks encased with neat and judicious piling of well-selected stones. This naturally gave the stone-work a slanting surface; the higher it reaches, however, the more it becomes vertical, until at last it juts out above the surface of the mound like a circular breastwork, or a hollow round tower on a conical base. I refer to Pl. X.

for an excellent view of its vertical aspect and structure. This mound, or tower, while it commands an extensive view to the west, north, and even north-east, is also the most northerly ”spur” of the western wing of the great house _A_. This wing extends in an unbroken length of 62 m.--203 ft.--from the base line of _H_ to the entrance _N_, and is divided into 3 transverse sections, all connected, and all having 3 longitudinal rows of rooms or cells. The width of each cell is the same in every section, to wit, from E. to W. 2.58 m., 2.58 m., and 3.22 m.--8 ft. 6 in., 8 ft. 6 in., and 10 ft. 6 in., respectively.

Section _k l l m_ has 3 5 apartments; in length from N. to S., 2.51 m., 3.86 m., 2.35 m., 3.71 m., and 3.72 m.--8 ft., 13 ft., 8 ft., 12 ft., and 12 ft. It was therefore 16.15 m. 8.38 m.--53 ft. 27 ft.

Probably all the ground-floor cells were on the same level.

Section _l l h h_ has 3 12 apartments, each 2.53 m.--8 ft.--long.

Consequently, it was a rectangle of 30.36 m. x 8.38 m.--100 ft. 27 ft.

The eastern row of chambers was on the slope.

Section _h h N_ 3 4 long, respectively 2.77 m.--9 ft. each, therefore 10.98 m. 8.38 m.--36 ft. 27 ft. There were two eastern rows on the slope.

This entire wing (forming a rectangle of 62 m. 8.38 m.--203 ft. 27 ft., if we add to the s.p.a.ces given the thicknesses of the transverse part.i.tions, this time not included in the measures) has given me more trouble than the rest of _A_ and _B_ combined. Nowhere are the walls so twisted and out of range as here. Besides, there is an unfinished air about it that is almost bewildering. The height of the stories does not agree with that of the other sections,--the western wing would be one story lower. Furthermore, it contains in several places squared beams of wood inserted in the stone-work lengthwise. These beams (of which there is also one in the opposite wing similarly embedded) are identical and apparently of the same age with the (not sculptured) beams still found in and about the old church. Entire walls of chambers, or rather sides, appear to be new; the mud or adobe is fresh, whereas almost everywhere else it has disappeared, out of the crevices even; the stones are almost laid in courses. As I shall hereafter relate, there are at several places adobe walls, the adobe containing wheat-straw! And all this right among chambers showing sides as uncouth and old as any of the pueblo, though still as high as their more recent and better preserved neighbors. Here there is evidently patchwork of later date, and patchwork executed with material unknown to the Indians previous to the advent of the Spaniards. I am even convinced that it was done after 1680; for the beams evidently came from the church or the convent, which buildings we know were sacked and fired by the Indians in the month of August of that year. If this conclusion be correct, the south-western part of _A_, its entire westerly wall, was somehow destroyed after 1680, and partly rebuilt with materials unknown to the Indians at the time when Pecos was first erected.

I say partly, because there is evidence that the western wing, from _H_ to _N_, was originally much broader. As it now appears, the wall _m h_ presents itself as the western line of the structure. But there are, still further out, although distinctly connected with it, remains of buildings which were at least attached to it. These are the ruined enclosures designated on the ground-plan by _I_, _K_, and _L_.

Nothing besides foundations, heaps of stones defining corners, and upright posts protruding along the western limits of _L_ and _K_ inside, remain of these structures. _L L_ are of the size of the ordinary chambers; _K K_ are four times larger. Their interior shows no part.i.tion whatever: the soil is level, somewhat depressed in the centre of each apartment; and on the whole they present very much the same appearance as those structures on the ”neck,” which lie to the west of B, but are not connected with the latter. Besides, the enclosures are on a lower level than the two rows of rooms immediately east of the wall _m N_.

This wall itself is a double wall, each single one being of the size of the ordinary part.i.tion; the total width is therefore 0.56 m.--22 in.,--as proven by actual measurement. The idea is therefore suggested--very naturally--that the entire western wing of the building _A_ was originally a double house,[119] terraced both towards the east and the west. In sketching the cross-sections, I have taken due notice of this very probable, if not positive, fact.

The double wall _m N_ shows no trace of lateral pa.s.sages. It therefore divides the whole structure from _H_ to _N_ into two longitudinal sections. The western one, from _o_ to _p_, consisted of but one row of 5 rooms; from _p_ to _N_ it had two rows of 16 chambers each. The ground slopes still further to the S. and S.W. outside of the trapezoidal enclosures, _I I_, and is covered with _debris_; so that I presume that, from _ll_ to _N_, there was an additional row of 3 rooms on the outside. The entire division was at one time very completely razed to the ground, so that its owners never attempted to rebuild it after the original plan.

The western division was also badly damaged in its southern half, but the damage was subsequently repaired with the aid of material and mechanical arts postdating the Spanish conquest of New Mexico. Pl. V., Fig. 3, gives a view of the western end, along the line _h h_.

I would recall here the fact already noticed, that the northern part of building _B_ is also mended in places with adobes of the same make as those used in repairing the western wing of _A_, and that, while the squared beams are wanting, the stone-work there in places appears also of a more recent date. The suggestion may therefore not be uncalled for, that the same destroying power which spent its main force on _A_, distinct from the general decay, and moving in a direction from S.W. to N. E., reflected or glanced off upon the northern portions of _B_. This question will, however, be discussed hereafter.

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