History and government of New Mexico . Prehistoric Ruins at Aztec valleys or on top of high mesas (masa). These puebloscontained many small rooms grouped together in irregularfashion, sometimes in a solid square, sometimes in a hollowsquare, and in numerous other irregular outlines. Theywere usually several stories high, each story being smallerthan the one below. There were no outside doors. Theentrance was by means of ladders and trapdoors in thetop of the rooms of each story. When these ladders weredrawn up from the ground, the pueblo became a fortress THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE. Courtesy of t
History and government of New Mexico . Prehistoric Ruins at Aztec valleys or on top of high mesas (masa). These puebloscontained many small rooms grouped together in irregularfashion, sometimes in a solid square, sometimes in a hollowsquare, and in numerous other irregular outlines. Theywere usually several stories high, each story being smallerthan the one below. There were no outside doors. Theentrance was by means of ladders and trapdoors in thetop of the rooms of each story. When these ladders weredrawn up from the ground, the pueblo became a fortress THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE. Courtesy of the School of American Research Cliff Dwellings in the Frijoles Canyon 8 THE HISTORY OF NEW MEXICO against the attack of marauding enemies, and was impreg-nable until the Spaniards came with artillery. Since theAmerican Occupation the danger has passed, and manypueblos now have doors opening on the ground floor. In the high northwestern region where sandstone wasabundant the houses were commonly built of that material,and in the lower valley regions adobe, or sun-dried brick,was used. But whatever the material, the work of buildingthese wonderful cities was done chiefly by the women,with help from the men only in quarrying stone or bringingand putting into place the heavy beams used in makingthe roof. And all of the work was done by the hands ofmen and women, for the Pueblos had no horses or otherbeasts of burden until the Spaniards brought them in thesixteenth century. Many of these massive structures have been destroyedby the ravages of time and by the Pueblos wild Apach
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