The other side of the dividing pier forms a recess, that is wholly given up to a series of metates or mealing stones; an indispensable feature of every pueblo household.
The metates are arranged in the usual manner, three in a row, but there is an additional detached section placed at right angles to the main series.
This trough usually contains a series of three metates of varying degrees of coarseness firmly fixed in a slanting position most convenient for the workers.
In larger open apartments undivided by buttress or pier, the metates are usually built in or near one corner.
Rarely if ever was any object found in these rooms, except, perhaps, some stray axe, or some metates and grinding stones, and in one case a square stone paint pot.
Near one of the group of houses I saw three metates in an excellent state of preservation.
The ancient metates of Casas Grandes, which are much appreciated by the present inhabitants of the valley, are decidedly the finest I have ever seen.
The stone metates from these ruins are in no respect characteristic, and several fine specimens were found in place on the floors of the rooms.
One of these grinding stones was found set in the floor of one of the rooms in the same way that similarmetates may be seen in Walpi today.
A number of metates and mullers were found in the graves at Sikyatki.
In almost every house that bore evidence of former occupancy, beautifully made mullers and metates were exhumed.
Metates or grain-grinders, pestles and rubbing stones belong to the milling industry among the Indians.
In each compartment one of these metates or grinding stones is firmly set at a proper angle to make it convenient to the kneeling female grinder.
Accompanying these metates are long, slim, flat stones, which are rubbed up and down the slabs, thus crushing the grain.
The metatesare generally quite large and heavy, and could not well be transported with the limited means at the command of Indians.
Footnote 67: At several places on the surfaces of projecting rocks forming the foundations of buildings may be noticed grooves where metates were sharpened.
Footnote 42: On the top of the rock that forms the foundation of the walls of these rooms, and south of them, are hollows or grooves where the metates were ground, and shallow pits used in some prehistoric game.
Although, many metates without metatakis occur in Cliff Palace, that in itself is not evidence that they were moved from place to place by the inhabitants.
In the spaces FFF were found numerous fragments of metates and brazos, with one unbroken specimen of each (pl.
Where this pecking technique is used to sharpen manos and metates three end products result in terms of exhausted tools and become part of the camp refuse.
To this point it is difficult to explain large lithic concentrations consisting of unworked stone, broken metates and manos, core tools, and occasional sections of human long bones.
Mr. Trujillo was fully aware that this was an archaeological site and told us he was forced to move many metates and large stones away from the area under cultivation.
Manos and metates bear out the same relationship; however, both these types of artifacts span the time gap from early occurrences to the historic period.
In contrast to other metates associated with reburials, this specimen was not inverted.
Wooden mortars and pestles can not be totally excluded, but the great preponderance of manos and metates would probably preclude any serious assumption that mortars and pestles ever played any important roll at the Tank Site.
Frequently one or more metates occurred with burials.
Metates Metates are of three types, called here deep basin, shallow basin, and flat slab.
This characterization rests upon the presence of a large number of manos and metates as opposed to the decided rarity of projectile points and the near absence of mammal bone in the site deposit.
The metates were of a dark stone, and made somewhat after the pattern of the Mexican.
Illustration: Jars, metates and manos, and fireplace as found in excavated ruin at cliff base west of Montezuma Castle.
Illustration: Metates and manos, and burned ceiling beams as found in excavated ruin at cliff base west of Montezuma Castle.
Rubbers for metates of the usual form, mostly of basalt, well worn, and most of them broken.
They make very little pottery, but we found stored in many of the houses of the village great quantities of stone implements, principally large metates and grinding-stones.
The metates of Chiriqui present a great diversity of form and possibly represent distinct peoples or different grades of culture.
The usual office of these metates is considered to be that of grinding corn, cocoa, and the like.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "metates" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
