Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico)
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Over 17,000 petroglyphs are located on the seventeen mile long escarpment of West Mesa near the western bank of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. Most of this rock art was pecked or incised into the basaltic boulders between 1300 and 1680 A.D. The figures include snakes, birds, star beings, shamans, clan markings, and other symbology both natural and spiritual .
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Shamans
or kachina dancers (left) and winged star being (right)
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Pair
of birds, wing fan, and four pointed star on upright slab
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Shield
bearer
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Macaw
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Inside
square: star and terraced icons meaning "land," "mountain,"
"cloud," or "house"
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If you want to know more, consult the following books:
Polly Schaafsma, Rock Art in New Mexico, Museum of New Mexico Press,
Santa Fe, 1992.
David Grant Noble, Ancient Ruins of the Southwest: An Archaeological
Guide, Northland Publishing, Flagstaff, 1991.
James R. Cunkle, Talking Pots: Deciphering the Symbols of a Prehistoric
People, Golden West Publishers, Phoenix, 1996.
Go to these web sites:
Collector's Guide
Online: Petroglyph National Monument
Sacred Land Film Project:
Petroglyph National Monument
National
Park Service: Petroglyph National Monument
All
photos on this page
Copyrighted © 2000-2001 by Gary A. David. All rights reserved.
Any
use of text or photographs without the author's permission is prohibited.
