Show smithsonian excavates ruins in new mexico washington D can C 0 an expedition organized zed by the lie bureau of american ethnology of 0 the smith institution and the museum of the amerlean american indian heye foundation of new york city under the immediate direction of mr F W hodge ethnologist in charge of the bureau mentioned has just concluded its first season of excavating among the ruins of in western new mexico tills this pueblo was one of the famed seven sevan cities of cleola which was seen by marcos de niza a franciscan friar in 1539 1530 and was the alie scene of the he death of his negro guide and companion in the following year the pueblo was stormed by Fri francisco incisco vasquez coronado the celebrated spanish explorer who almost lost his life in the attack the zuni occupants of fled ito to their stronghold a few miles away the spanish took possession of their village which coronado called grenada and while there wrote his report to the viceroy of mexico giving an account of tits his expedition up to that time and sending various products of the country and examples of native art the excavations were commenced at the close of may by mr hodge assisted by mr alanson skinner and mr E F collin coffin of the museum of the american indian work was begun in a great refuse heap forming the western slope of the election on which Is situated this refuse was found to contain many burials of zuni dead of which there were three types remains cremated and deposited in cluer ery vessels assels accompanied by food and water vessels others burled buried at length or in abnormal postures without accompaniments pani ments and usually dismembered others still deposited at length with head directed eastward and with them numerous vessels of 0 earthenware great quantities of food and the personal tools and ornaments of the decea deceased seil in all graves were opened during the ane three I 1 months devoted to the worl wora in which quantities of pottery vessels of various forms and with a great range of decorative painting were uncovered anion among burials of the third type mentioned werd were several skeletons tong of members of the zuni priesthood of the dow bow with their war wai paraphernalia including hows bows and arrows sacred paint war clubs and their personal or ceremonial belongings A franciscan minion was established at trawl kub in 1639 and continued in oper operation atlon until 1070 1670 when the pueblo was abandoned on account of anneli 0 depredations considering the length of time since the was forsaken by its inhabitants the remains were in a remarkably good state of preservation the deposit of great quantities of food in the hie graves especially boiled corn on the cob had ahe he effect of decaying the tones bones but bul of preserving ahr materials that usually more readily perish such us as baskets fabrics and objects of wood ciany ninny rf of which were saved by lm ine diato matty many very beautiful things s found in association with the remains include eight objects 0 of turquoise mosaic consisting of ornamental hair combs ear pendants pennants pend ants and hair ornaments spine some of which are so well executed as to be among the finest examples of encrusted turquoise ever eer found in america and far exceeding tile the li mosaic losole work of the llie hopi indians in ili arizona today of the fa fabrics bries various examples were recovered and indeed in one instance the clothing of a woman was so well preserved that it was possible to study the character of her dress from neck to feet the pottery of tile the people as mentioned possesses a wide range of decoration and coloring most of the designs are geometric b but u t numerous highly lilg lily conventionalized figures of bir birds d s as well as many lifelike forms of quadrupeds the eagle the butterfly tile the tadpole and the eo corn arl plant were found many of the vessels are decorated with a distinct glaze black and green predominating the vessels consist chiefly of bowls ranging in size from tiny toy affairs to some ns as large as 15 inches in diameter but there are also large and small water jugs and black undecorated cooking cooing pots duck shaped ves vessels sets and the like the finds include among others the cerp cere montal paraphernalia of it i medicine man compres I 1 ing tits his medicines a turkeys egg containing the iss bones bone 8 of the embryo and accompanied by a food J bowl several skeletons of eagles turkeys and f dogs that had been ceremonially burled buried and jle jie posits of pottery that li had a d been broken ln in sacrifice fice and deposited in tile lie cemetery not ns as burial accompaniments it was vas the ble custom of the aunts of to kill nil tho vessels deposited with deadly dead by throwing them into the graves and this hits was likewise the case casewitz with othar ouse hold utensils lla a ucil as 1110 metates ates and manos used in ili grinding corn S some of tile the vessels escaped injury while all of the fragments fra of the reken brodeu ones were carefully gathered and und undrill will be repaired the site ot of I 1 covers nu all of about by featt feet so that only a comparatively small part pari of tile the site was excavated during this season reason the refuse was found to td attain n depth of 14 ial feet in the western slope and it will probably be found to reach a depth of at least 18 feet before tile he walls 1 of odthe the summit 0 of tile lie lea are reached an interesting discovery consists of tle the reni remains dinst of many walls entirely beneath tills this grent great deposit of refuse reft se showing abat the lift site was occupied in times long before itself was bulli built |