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.[p. 72] 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 spaces given the thicknesses of the transverse partitions, 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.[p. 73]
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 partition 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 partition; 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 passages. 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[p. 74] chambers each. The ground slopes still further to the S. and S.W. outside of the trapezoidal enclosures, I I, and is covered with débris; 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.