Cob: Re: Mud Floors and Native American Structures

[SANCO Enterprises LLC <Paul & Mary Salas>]

Hi y'all,

Been kinda busy for awhile as I am building a new high school in Zuni, New
Mexico.  Interestingly when we broke ground almost a month ago, we found
some artifacts that stopped a portion of the project. Where's what we have
found in the last three weeks.

The structures are between 6 and 8 feet below existing grade and the
structures resemble what could be compared to what we call earthships, only
these were made of cob and stone.

The structures ( mostly square in construction) were built between 800 and
1200 AD and  are subterranean with different floor levels.  The largest room
is 8 feet x 8 feet with many 5 feet by 5 feet. The walls for the structures
were made from local stones 4 to 6 inches wide and 6 to 12 inches long
(somewhat flat) and bedded in a heavy clay soil mortar about 3/4 inch thick.
The wall thickness vary from 8 to 14 inches.  Only about three feet of the
structure was above what would have been ground level at the time the
structures were built.

The floors were all dirt floors and after 1200 or so years, they are still
intact and very hard.  The floors were made from a combination of ash and
clay.  The layers of silt and wind blown soil readily release from the clay
floors.Wear marks are still visible where the feet of a person pushed
against it when grinding corn.

The fire pits, corn grinding pits and in some instances, the metate and mano
are still intact. Some pots and vessels have been found intact. The remains
of a mother and infant and two adults have been found as well.  Another, a
young child, was found along with its dog.

In an adjacent area, I will be removing 3 feet of soil with an scraper
(earth mover) to see if the community included other structures.

I do not have a land line telephone on site as yet and must rely on cell
phone for communication.  I am only able to access my e-mail on weekends.

Paul Salas
General Manager
SANCO Enterprises, LLC
P.O. Box 45741
Rio Rancho, NM 87174
(505)  238-1485
chansey at earthlink.net