ar ones found farther north as ancient ruins,
to such an extent that one might suppose that the Tarahumares have
made use of the relics of antiquity. Mr. Hartman in one long arroyo
thereabouts observed four at some distance from one another. They were
from four to ten feet high, and as broad as the little arroyo itself,
some eight to sixteen feet.

Chapter VIII

The Houses of the Tarahumares--American Cave-dwellings of
To-day--Frequent Changes of Abode by the Tarahumare--The Patio
or Dancing Place--The Original Cross of America--Tarahumare
Storehouses.

The houses we saw on this excursion were of remarkable uniformity, and
as the people have had very little, if any, contact with the whites,
it is reasonable to infer that these structures are original with
them. On a sloping mesa six families were living in such buildings
not far from one another.

These houses have a frame of four forked poles, planted firmly into
the ground, to form a square or rectangle. Two joists are laid over
them parallel to each other. Under one of them, in the front of the
house, is the doorway. The joists support the fiat roof of loose pine
boards, laid sometimes in a double layer. The rear joist is often a
foot or so lower than the front one, which causes the roof to slant
towards the back. The boards may simply be logs split in two and with
the bark taken off. The walls are made by leaning boards, ends up,
against the roof, while the door consists of a number of boards,
which are removed or replaced according to convenience. In most
instances the doorway is protected from the outside against wind
and weather by a lean-to. Access to the house is gained sideways,
even where a small vestibule is built, extra poles being driven in
the ground to support the porch-roof boards.

While this style of architecture may be said to be typical throughout
the Tarahumare country, there are many variations. Generally attempts
are made to construct a more solid wall, boards or poles being laid
lengthwise, one on top of the other, and kept in place by sliding the
ends between double uprights at the corners. Or they may be placed ends
up along the side of the house; or regular stone walls may be built,
with or without mud for mortar. Even in one and the same house all
these kinds of walls may be observed. A type of house seen throughout
the Tarahumare country, as well as among the pagan Tarahumares in
the Barranca de Cobre, is sh