The Cliff Ruins of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona | Page 2

oven-like structure 128 27. Ground plan
of a small village, ruin No. 16 129 28. Ruins on a large rock 130 29.
Ground plan of ruins No. 49 131 30. Ruins on an almost inaccessible
site 133 31. Ground plan of a large ruin in Canyon del Muerto 134 32.
Ground plan of a small ruin in Canyon del Muerto 135 33. Ground plan
of a small ruin 135 34. Plan of a ruin of three rooms 136 35. Ground
plan of a small ruin, with two kivas 136 36. Ground plan of a small ruin,
No. 44 137 37. Ground plan of a ruin on a rocky site 137 38. Rock with
cups and petroglyphs 138 39. Ground plan of a ruin in Canyon de
Chelly 139 40. Site showing recent fall of rock 140 41. Ruin No. 69 in
a branch canyon 140 42. Ground plan of a small ruin in Canyon del
Muerto 140 43. Ground plan of a small ruin 141 44. Plan of a ruin with
curved inclosing wall 141 45. Ground plan of ruin No. 34 142 46.
Ground plan of cliff outlook No. 35 143 47. Plan of a cliff outlook 143
48. Plan of cliff ruin No. 46 144 49. Plan of cliff room with partitions
145 50. Plan of a large cliff outlook in Canyon del Muerto 145 51. Plan
of a cluster of rooms in Canyon del Muerto 146 52. White House ruin
in Tseonitsosi canyon 146 53. Ground plan of a ruin in Tseonitsosi
canyon 147 54. Plan of rooms against a convex cliff 147 55. Small ruin
with curved wall 147 56. Ground plan of a cliff outlook 148 57. Plan of
cliff outlook No. 14, in Canyon de Chelly 148 58. Ground plan of
outlooks in a cleft 149 59. Plan of a single-room outlook 149 60.
Three-room outlook in Canyon del Muerto 150 61. Plan of a two-room
outlook 150 62. Plan of outlook and burial cists, No. 64 150 63. Plan of
rectangular room, No. 45 151 64. Rectangular single room 151 65.
Single-room remains 152 66. Site apparently very difficult of access
158 67. Notched doorway in Canyon de Chelly 164 68. Cist composed
of upright slabs 169 69. Retaining walls in Canyon de Chelly 172 70.
Part of a kiva in ruin No. 31 175 71. Plan of part of a kiva in ruin No.
10 176 72. Kiva decoration in white 177 73. Pictograph in white 178 74.

Markings on cliff wall, ruin No. 37 178 75. Decorative band in kiva in
Mummy Cave ruin 179 76. Design employed in decorative band 180 77.
Pictographs in Canyon de Chelly 181 78. Plan of chimney-like
structure in ruin No. 15 182 79. Section of chimney-like structure in
ruin No. 15 183 80. Plan of chimney-like structure in ruin No. 16 184
81. Section of chimney-like structure in ruin No. 16 185 82. Plan of the
principal kiva in Mummy Cave ruin 186 83. Chimney-like structure in
Mummy Cave ruin 187
[Illustration: Plate XLI (Map) Ancient Pueblo Region Showing
Location of Canyon De Chelly]

THE CLIFF RUINS OF CANYON DE CHELLY, ARIZONA
By Cosmos Mindeleff

INTRODUCTION
HISTORY AND LITERATURE
Although Canyon de Chelly is one of the best cliff-ruin regions of the
United States, it is not easily accessible and is practically unknown. At
the time of the conquest of this country by the "Army of the West" in
1846, and of the rush to California in 1849, vague rumors were current
of wonderful "cities" built in the cliffs, but the position of the canyon in
the heart of the Navaho country apparently prevented exploration. In
1849 it was found necessary to make a demonstration against these
Indians, and an expedition was sent out under the command of Colonel
Washington, then governor of New Mexico. A detachment of troops set
out from Santa Fé, and was accompanied by Lieutenant (afterward
General) J. H. Simpson, of the topographical engineers, to whose
indefatigable zeal for investigation and carefulness of observation
much credit is due. He was much interested in the archeology of the
country passed over and his descriptions are remarkable for their
freedom from the exaggerations and erroneous observations which

characterize many of the publications of that period. His journal was
published by Congress the next year[1] and was also printed privately.
[Footnote 1: Thirty-first Congress, first session, Senate Ex. Doc. No. 64,
Washington, 1850.]
The expedition camped in the Chin Lee valley outside of Canyon de
Chelly, and Lieutenant Simpson made a side trip into the canyon itself.
He mentions ruins noticed by him at 4½, 5, and 7 miles from the mouth;
the latter, the ruin subsequently known as Casa Blanca, he describes at
some length. He also gives an illustration drawn by