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ANTIQUITIES OF THE MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK
CLIFF PALACE
By JESSE WALTER FEWKES
GENERAL PLAN OF CLIFF PALACE
The ground plans of Cliff Palace which have been
published were made from surface indications before excavations were
undertaken and necessarily do not represent all the rooms.
Nordenskiöld's map outlines 17 kivas and 102 rooms, indicating several
kivas by dotted lines. The Morley-Kidder map, which represents positions
of 18 or 19 kivas, notes 105 secular rooms.b Although this ground
plan is an improvement on that of Nordenskiöld, it also was based on
surface indications and naturally fails to indicate those kivas that
were buried under the fallen walls of the terraces. Strangely enough, in
Nordenskiöld's ground plan Kiva K is omitted, notwithstanding the tops
of one or two pilasters were readily seen before any excavation was
made. Neither of these plans distinguishes those buildings that have
more than a single story, although they show the parts of walls that
extend to the roof. Neither Chapin nor Birdsall published maps of Cliff
Palace. (See pl. 8.)
bIn "Report, House of Representatives, No.
3703, 58th Congress," Mr. Coert Dubois ascribes to Cliff House (Cliff
Palace) 146 rooms and 5 estufas (kivas). Unfortunately the error in the
count of kivas has been given wide circulation. As stated in the present
article, there are at least 23 rooms in Cliff Palace that may be called
kivas.
TERRACES AND RETAINING WALLS
The terraces in front of the rooms occupying the
floor of the cave are characteristic features of Cliff Palace (pls. 9,
10). The excavations revealed three of these terraces, of which the
floor of the cave is the fourth. This fourth terrace, or cave floor, is
in the main horizontal, but on account of the accumulated talus the
slope from the southern end of the portion in front of kiva G was
gradual and continued at about this level to the northern end of the
ruin. This slope brought it about that kivas in the terraces are at
different levels. The floors of kivas H and I lie on about the level of
the first terrace, that of G on the terrace above, and F lies on the
third terrace, the remaining kivas are all excavated in the cave floor,
or fourth terrace. From the main entrance to the ruin, extending
northward, there are representations of the second and third terraces,
both of which extend to the cliff in front of kiva U. It is probable
from the general appearance of the ruin that when all the terraces and
walls were intact Cliff Palace was also terraced with houses along the
front, which recalls architectural features in certain cliff-dwellings
in Canyon de Chelly.
TOWER QUARTER
For convenience of description Cliff Palace is
arbitrarily divided into four quarters, known as tower quarter, plaza
quarter, old quarter, and northern quarter. The tower quarter (pls.
10-14) occupies the whole southern portion of the ruin and extends
to the extreme southern end from a line drawn perpendicular to the
cliff through the round tower. It includes 8 kivas, A to G, and J, 6 of
which, A, B, C, D, E, and J, are situated on the fourth terrace, the
level of the kiva floor being that of the third terrace. Kiva F lies in
the third, and G in the second terrace. It will be seen from an
inspection of the ground plan that there are in all 29 rooms in this
quarter, besides the 8 kivas, an instructive fact when compared with
Spruce-tree House with its 8 kivas and 114 rooms. It must be remembered
that several of the rooms in this quarter are of two stories, one is of
three stories, and one of four stories, thus adding from 15 to 20 rooms
to the 8 enumerated as occupying the ground floor. The proportion of
ceremonial rooms to kivas in this quarter would be a little more than 2
to 1.
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Plate 10. TOWER QUARTER, AFTER REPAIRING (left), TERRACES AT SOUTHERN
END, AFTER REPAIRING (right)
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PLAZA QUARTER
The plaza quarter, as its name indicates, is a large
open space, the floor of which is formed mainly by the contiguous roofs
of the several kivas (K to O) that are sunk below it. The main entrance
to the village opens into this plaza at its northwestern corner, and on
the northern side it is continued into a court which connects with the
main street or alley of the cliff village. From its position, relations,
and other considerations, it is supposed that this quarter was an
important section of Cliff Palace and that here were held some of the
large open-air gatherings of the inhabitants of the place; here also no
doubt were celebrated the sacred dances which we have every reason to
believe were at times performed by the former inhabitants. The roof
levels of kivas H and I did not contribute to the size of the main
plaza, but show good evidence of later construction. Judging from the
number of fireplaces in this quarter there is reason to believe that
much cooking was done in this open space, in addition to its use for
ceremonial or other gatherings of the inhabitants.
OLD QUARTER
The section of Cliff Palace that has been designated
the old quarter (pls. 14, 15) lies between a line drawn from the main
entrance of the ruin to the rear of the cave and the extreme northern
end, culminating in a high castle-like cluster of rooms. It may well be
called one of the most important sections of Cliff Palace, containing,
as it does, the largest number of rooms, the most varied architecture,
and the best masonry. Its protected situation under the roof of the cave
is such that we may consider it and the adjoining plaza quarter the
earliest settled sections of the village. It contains all varieties of
inclosures known in cliff-dwellings kivas of two types, round rooms,
rectangular rooms, an alley or a street, and a court. The floor of the cave
on which the rooms are built is broadest at this point, which is one of
the best protected sites and the least accessible to enemies in the
whole building. It may be theoretically supposed that originally the
kiva quarter was an annex of this section and that some of the kivas in
this quarter may also have been owned and used by the clans which
founded Cliff Palace. The old quarter is divided into two parts, a
northern and a southern, the former being arbitrarily designated the
Speaker-chief's House. The "street" running approximately north and
south bisects the old quarter, making a front and a rear section.
NORTHERN QUARTER
This quarter (pl. 16) of Cliff Palace extends from
the high rocks on which the Speaker-chief's House is perched, in a
westerly direction, ending with a milling room and adjacent inclosures
92 to 94, situated west of kiva V. It includes three kivas; two, U and
V, being situated on the fourth terrace; and one, T, on the first
terrace. Kivas U and V are built on top of large rocks, the floor of
kiva V being excavated in solid rock. Much of this quarter, especially
the western end, is under the sky, and consequently without the
protection of the cave roof, on which account it was considerably
destroyed by rain water flowing over the canyon rim. The walls of this
quarter, especially where it joins the old quarter, exhibit fine
masonry, suggesting that it was inhabited by important clans.
Plate 11. TOWER QUARTER (photographed by
R. G. Fuller)
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MASONRY
The walls of Cliff Palace present the finest masonry
known to any cliff-dwelling and among the best stonework in prehistoric
ruins north of Mexico. A majority of the stones used in the construction
were well dressed before laying and smoothed after they were set in the
wall. The joints are often broken, but it is rare to find intersecting
walls or corners bonded. Stones of approximately the same size are
employed, thereby making the courses, as a rule, level. Although
commonly the foundations are composed of the largest stones, this is not
an invariable rule, often larger stones being laid above smaller ones;
the latter, even when used for foundations, are sometimes set on edge.
As a rule, the walls are not plumb or straight. The custom of laying
stone foundations on wooden beams is shown in several instances,
especially in cases where it was necessary to bridge the intervals
between projecting rocks. The arch was unknown to the masons of Cliff
Palace; there are no pillars to support floors or roofs as in
Spruce-tree House. It is not rare, especially in the kivas, to find
instances of double or reenforced walls which may or may not be bonded
by connecting stones.
The masonry of the kivas as a rule is superior to
that of the secular rooms. The mortar employed in the construction is
hard; the joints are chinked with spalls, fragments of pottery, or clay
balls. The fact that much more mortar than was necessary was employed
resulted in weakening the walls. Several walls were laid without mortar;
in some of these the joints were pointed, in others not.a The
ancient builders did not always seek solid bases for foundations, but
built their walls in several instances on ashes or sand, evidently not
knowing when the foundations were laid that other stories would later be
constructed upon them.
aFragments of mortar from the walls and
floors, ground to powder, were used in the repair work.
In several sections of the ruin there are evidences
that old walls, apparently of houses formerly used, served in part as
walls for new buildings. There are also several instances of secondary
construction in which old entrances are walled up or even buried and old
passageways covered with new structures. Similar reconstruction is
common in Hopi pueblos, where it has led to enlargement of rooms and
other variations in form. Among the several examples of such secondary
building in Cliff Palace may be mentioned a long wall, evidently the
front of a large building, which serves as a rear wall of several rooms
arranged side by side. The obvious explanation of such a condition is
that the walls of the small rooms are of later construction.
As above mentioned the foundations of many walls are
of larger stones, and the masonry here is coarser than higher up, which
has led some authors to ascribe this fact as due to two epochs of
construction. But this conclusion does not appear to be wholly
justifiable, although there is evidence in many places that there has
been rebuilding over old walls and consequent modification in new
constructions, by which older walls have ceased to be necessary, a
condition not unlike that existing in several of the Hopi pueblos. In this
category may be included the several doors and windows that have been
filled in with new masonry or even concealed by new walls. From the
fragile character of certain foundations of high walls it would appear
that it was not the intention, when they were laid, to erect on them
walls more than one story high; the construction of higher stories upon
them was an afterthought. Evidences occur of repair of breaks in the
walls and corners by the aboriginal occupants, one of the most apparent
of which appears at the end of the court in the southern wall of room
59.
ADOBE BRICKS
The walls, as a rule, were made of stone; indeed it
is unusual to find adobe walls in cliff-dwellings of the Mesa Verde. In
prehistoric buildings in our Southwest, evidences that the ancients made
adobe bricks, sun-dried before laying, are very rare. Bricks made of
clay are set in the walls of the Speaker-chief's House and were found in
the fallen debris at its base. These bricks were made cubical in form
before laying, but there is nothing to prove that they were molded in
forms or frames, nor do they have a core of straw as in the case of the
adobes used in the construction of Inscription House in the Navaho
National Monument, Arizona.a The use of adobes in the construction
of cliff-house walls has not been previously mentioned,
although we find references to "lumps of clay" in the earliest historic
times among Pueblos. Thus the inhabitants of Tiguex, according to
Casteñeda, were acquainted with adobes. "They collect," says this
author, "great heaps of thyme and rushes and set them on fire; when the
mass is reduced to ashes and charcoal they cast a great quantity of
earth and water upon it and mix the whole together. They knead this
stuff into round lumps, which they learn to dry and use instead of
stone."
aSee Bulletin 50, Bureau of American
Ethnology.
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Plate 12. THE SQUARE TOWER, BEFORE AND AFTER REPAIRING
(photographed by R. G. Fuller)
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Attention may be called to the fact that not only the
adobes found at Cliff Palace but also the mortar used in the
construction of the walls contain ashes and sometimes even small
fragments of charcoal. Clay or adobe plastered on osiers woven between
upright sticks, so common in the walls of cliff-dwellings in Canyon de
Chelly and in the ruins in the Navaho Monument, while not unknown in the
Mesa Verde, is an exceptional method of construction and was not
observed at Cliff Palace. The survivala of this method of
building a wall, if survival it be, may be seen in the deflector of kiva
K.
aIn at least one of the Oraibi kivas the
plastering of the wall is laid on sticks that form a kind of lathing.
Whether this is a survival of an older method of construction or is
traceable to European influence has not been determined, but it is
believed to be a survival of prehistoric wall construction.
PLASTERING
The walls of a number of rooms were coated with a
layer of plastering of sand or clay. This was found on the outside of
some walls, where it is generally worn, but it is best preserved on the
interior surfaces. Perhaps the most striking examples of plastering on
exterior walls occurs on the Speaker-chief's House, where the
smoothness of the finish is noteworthy.
From impressions of hands and fingers on this
plastering it is evident that it was laid on not with trowels but with
the hands, and as the impressions of hands are small the plasterers were
probably women or children. In several instances where the plastering is
broken several successive layers are seen, often in different colors,
sometimes separated by a thin black layer deposited by smoke. The color
of the plastering varies considerably, sometimes showing red, often
yellow or white, depending on the different colored sand or mud
employed.b The plastering not only varies in color but also in
thickness and in finish. In the most protected rooms of the cave practically
all the superficial plastering still remains on both the interior
and the exterior of the walls, but for the greater part it has been
washed from the surfaces and out of the joints in the outer buildings.
The mortar was evidently rubbed smooth with the hands, aided, perhaps,
with flat stones. The exterior of one or two rooms shows several coats
of plaster, and different parts of the same walls are of different
colors. Indistinct figures are scratched on several walls, but the
majority of these are too obscure to be traced or deciphered. The
plastering on the exterior and the interior of the same wall is often of
different color.
b The red color is derived from the red soil
common everywhere on the mesa. Yellow was obtained from disintegrated
rock, and white is a marl which is found at various places. The mortar
used by the ancient masons became harder, almost cement, when made of
marl mixed with adobe.
PAINTINGS AND ROCK MARKINGS
Figures are painted on the white plastering of the
third story of room 11 and on the lower border of the banquette of kiva
I, the former being the most elaborate mural paintings known in cliff
dwellings, showing several symbols which are reproduced on pottery. A
reversed symbolic rain-cloud figure, painted white, occurs on the
exterior of the low ledge house.a Mural paintings of unusual form
are found on the under side of the projecting rock forming part of the
floor of room 3, and there are scratches on the plastering of the wall
of kiva K. The latter figures were intended to represent animals, heads
of grotesque beings, possibly birds, and terraced designs symbolic of
rain clouds. As one or more of these symbols occur on pottery fragments,
there appears no doubt that both were made by the same people. Among
rock markings may also be mentioned shallow, concave grooves made by
rubbing harder stones, which can be seen on the cliffs in front of rooms
92 and 93 and in the court west of room 51.
aThis figure resembles closely that on the
outside walls of the third story of room 11 of Spruce-tree House. (see
pls. 4, 5, 6, Bulletin 41, Bureau of American Ethnology.)
Among the figures painted on whitewashed walls of
room 11 may be mentioned triangles, parallel red lines with dots, and a
square figure, in red, crossed by zigzags, recalling the designs on old
Navaho blankets.
The parallel lines are placed vertically and are not
unlike, save in color, those which the Hopi make with prayer meal on the
walls of their kivas, in certain ceremonies. But it is to be noted that
the Hopi markings are made horizontally instead of vertically, as at
Cliff Palace. The dots represented on the sides of some of these
parallel lines (room 11) are similar to those appearing on straight
lines or triangles in the decoration of Mesa Verde pottery. The
triangular figures still used by the Hopi in decorating the margins of
dados in their houses also occur on some of the Cliff-Palace walls, but
are placed in a reversed position. They are said to represent a
butterfly, a rain cloud, or a sex symbol. It is interesting to note in
passing that two or more triangles placed one above another appear
constantly in the same position in Moorish tile and stucco decorations,
but this, of course, is only a coincidence, as there is no evidence of a
cultural connection.
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Plate 13. DETAILS OF CLIFF PALACE
(photographed by R. G. Fuller)
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