"Petroglyph National Monument contains over 20,000 images pecked in stone -- some recognizable as animals people and crosses, others more mysterious."
According to the brochure, "West Mesa, a 17 mile-long table of land west of the Rio Grande, emerged about 150,000 years ago when lava flowed from a large crack in the earth's crust. Over time, softer sediments in the mesa's eastern edge eroded, leaving a jagged-edged escarpment strewn with basalt boulders broken away from the lava caprock. This is the setting for the petroglyphs you see today."
This beautiful building is the Visitor Center. It was formally a private home that was given to the Monument --
There are three distinct parts of the National Monument. Since we didn't get there until almost three this afternoon, we only went to Boca Negra Canyon today.
This is the "trail" going up the escarpment to where the petroglyphs are located along the way --
The trail takes you up to the top -- over a mile above sea level!
Can you believe that I climbed that puppy all the way up? (Forry stayed in the car and watched birds -- and me! -- with his binos!)
Not sure if this is a lizard with a lollipop or?
Some ladies I met on the trail were tittering over this one -- thought the birds on the left were mating...
They call this trail the Macaw trail because of several of these birds. They speculate that some of the Native Americans who moved into the Rio Grande Valley may have emigrated north from Mexico where there were macaws -- or was the climate warm enough that they were here?
At first I thought this one looked like a pregnant woman -- or is it a spider on top of a woman?
"Long ago people discovered that chipping away the rocks' thin desert varnish revealed a lighter gray beneath and left a last mark. American Indians believe these images are as old as time."
"Archeologists estimate that most of the images were made 400 to 700 years ago by the ancestors of today's Native people. Some images may be 2,000 to 3,000 years old."
There is lots of speculation about what the images might mean. Were they a way to communicate? Did they guard a sacred location? No one really knows.
I do know that it must have taken a long time to create each picture using stone tools! Some, like this one, are pretty deeply chipped into the basalt.
Were these done at different times by different artists? Or are they all part of one story?
They call this trail the Macaw trail because of several of these birds. They speculate that some of the Native Americans who moved into the Rio Grande Valley may have emigrated north from Mexico where there were macaws -- or was the climate warm enough that they were here?
At first I thought this one looked like a pregnant woman -- or is it a spider on top of a woman?"Long ago people discovered that chipping away the rocks' thin desert varnish revealed a lighter gray beneath and left a last mark. American Indians believe these images are as old as time.""Archeologists estimate that most of the images were made 400 to 700 years ago by the ancestors of today's Native people. Some images may be 2,000 to 3,000 years old."
There is lots of speculation about what the images might mean. Were they a way to communicate? Did they guard a sacred location? No one really knows.
I do know that it must have taken a long time to create each picture using stone tools! Some, like this one, are pretty deeply chipped into the basalt.
Were these done at different times by different artists? Or are they all part of one story?
We've decided that we are going to stay at Hidden Valley RV Park until May 12th, so I'm hoping that we will have an opportunity to see the other two sections of the National Monument.
I love this post. Your pictures are great and your descriptions make me want to be there!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are in one of my absolute favorite areas of the whole country. When Bill and I roadtripped several years ago we went to the Petrified Forest, the Petroglyphs, and the meteor crater. I can't wait to go back.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I loved about the petroglyph is the diversity of the artists. Were some of the pictures of aliens? or was there pre-historic sci-fi writers? :-D So much fun! I am glad you are enjoying yourself.
To Forry: Get moving man! :-)