but
highly volcanic formations are abundantly found to the north, within
fifty miles from Pecos, in the high Sierra de Mora; perhaps, also,
nearer yet. At all events, the mineral has been brought to the pueblo
and chipped there. The same is the case with the flint flakes, agates,
jaspers, and moss-agates, with the difference, however, that, in the
case of these, water has done a great part of the carrying, if not all;
whereas the drift of the _arroyo_ contains no obsidian nor lava, except
such as has clearly been washed into it from the ruins. Among the flakes
there will be noticed several which may have been used for knives,
whereas still others approximate to the arrow-head. A small perfect
arrow-head was found and transmitted by me to the Institute,--the only
one I met with on the premises.[183]

The fact that several localities at Pecos are completely devoid of
obsidian has already been mentioned. These are the oldest ruins. In the
case of the ruins along the mesa and those south of the church, I can
only speak of the surface; but where the corrugated pottery was found
the whole section of the bluff was exposed for more than 100 m.--327
ft.,--and still not a trace of the mineral appeared, while flint, agate,
and jasper were rather conspicuous.[184] This may be accidental, but it
is certainly suspicious and suggestive.

The painted pottery is scattered in wagon-loads of fragments over the
ruins. There are two places, however, where, as already stated, the
surface is utterly devoid of them. Whether or not this deficiency
extends to the soil, I cannot tell. I doubt it, however. These
localities are, again, the apron along the _mesa_ and the ruins south of
the church. For the rest, it is very equally distributed everywhere.
Still there are two distinct kinds at least. One is exactly similar to
the kind now made and sold: it is coarse, soft; the ground is painted
gray or yellow; the ornaments show, in few instances, traces of animal
shapes (they are either black or brown); and the vessels must have been
thick, and with a thicker coarse rim. Out of the grave in the mound _V_,
the pottery was more perfect. There are pieces of a _tinaja_ (bowl) with
a vertical rim, yellow outside, white inside, with black geometrical
ornamentation, not vitrified. This kind of pottery is still made by the
Indians of Nambe, of Tezuque, and of Cochiti. (The former two are
Tehuas, the latter is Queres.) But there I also found fragments of a
p