f
openings was due to the exceptionally small size of the building stone
made use of. Although larger stones were available, the builders had not
sufficient constructive skill to successfully utilize them. The failure
to utilize this material indicates a degree of ignorance of mechanical
aids that at first thought seems scarcely in keeping with the
massiveness of form and the high degree of finish characterizing many of
the remains; but as already seen in the discussion of masonry, the
latter results were attained by the patient industry of many hands,
although laboring with but little of the spirit of cooperation. The
narrowness of the largest doors and windows in the ancient pueblos
suggests timidity on the part of the ancient builders. The apparently
bolder construction of the present day, shown in the prevailing use of
horizontal openings, is not due to greater constructive skill, but
rather to the markedly greater carelessness of modern construction.

[Illustration: Fig. 87. Diagram illustrating symmetrical arrangement
of small openings in Pueblo Bonito.]

The same contrast between modern and ancient practice is seen in the
disposition of openings in walls. In the modern pueblos there does not
seem to be any regularity or system in their introduction, while in some
of the older pueblos, such as Pueblo Bonito on the Chaco, and others of
the same group, the arrangement of the outer openings exhibits a certain
degree of symmetry. The accompanying diagram, Fig. 87, illustrates a
portion of the northern outer wall of Pueblo Bonito, in which the small
windows of successive rooms, besides being uniform in size, are grouped
in pairs. The degree of technical skill shown in the execution of the
masonry about these openings is in keeping with the precision with which
the openings themselves are placed. Pl. CV, gives a view of a portion of
the wall containing these openings.

In marked contrast to the above examples is the slovenly practice of the
modern pueblos. There are rarely two openings of the same size, even in
a single room, nor are these usually placed at a uniform height from the
floor. The placing appears to be purely a matter of individual taste,
and no trace of system or uniformity is to be found. Windows occur
sometimes at considerable height, near or even at the ceiling in some
cases, while others are placed almost at the base of the wall; examples
may be found occupying all intermediate heights between th