the plan.
Convenience of access to the fields on the east and to the other
villages probably prompted the first occupation of the east end of this
rocky butte (Pl. XXVI).

[Illustration: Plate XXVIII. Back wall of a Mashongnavi house-row.]

[Illustration: Fig. 10. Diagram showing growth of Mashongnavi.]

In Mashongnavi of to-day the eastern portion of the village forms a more
decided court than do the other portions. The completeness in itself of
this eastern end of the pueblo, in connection with the form of the
adjoining rows, strongly suggests that this was the first portion of the
pueblo built, although examination of the masonry and construction
furnish but imperfect data as to the relative age of different portions
of the village. One uniform gray tint, with only slight local variations
in character and finish of masonry, imparts a monotonous effect of
antiquity to the whole mass of dwellings. Here and there, at rare
intervals, is seen a wall that has been newly plastered; but,
ordinarily, masonry of 10 years' age looks nearly as old as that built
200 years earlier. Another feature that suggests the greater antiquity
of the eastern court of the pueblo is the presence and manner of
occurrence here of the kiva. The old builders may have been influenced
to some extent in their choice of site by the presence of a favorable
depression for the construction of a kiva, though this particular
example of the ceremonial room is only partly subterranean. The other
kivas are almost or quite below the ground level. Although a favorable
depression might readily occur on the summit of the knoll, a deep
cavity, suitable for the construction of the subterranean kiva, would
not be likely to occur at such a distance from the margin of the
sandstone ledge. The builders evidently preferred to adopt such half-way
measures with their first kiva in order to secure its inclosure within
the court, thus conforming to the typical pueblo arrangement. The
numerous exceptions to this arrangement seen in Tusayan are due to local
causes. The general view of Mashongnavi given in Pl. XXVII shows that
the site of this pueblo, as well as that of its neighbor, Shupaulovi,
was not particularly defensible, and that this fact would have weight in
securing adherence in the first portion of the pueblo built to the
defensive inclosed court containing the ceremonial chamber. The plan
strongly indicates that the other courts of the pueblo were added as t