In the shade of a canyon wall, etched into the rock, is the unmistakable figure of a pronghorn antelope, frozen in time. A lizard, eternally crawling up the wall. And a hunter, arrow notched into his bow, forever ready to let it fly but never quite letting go. The centuries-old rock-art drawings across the Southwest are more than just prehistoric graffiti, archaeologists believe: They tell us stories and reveal the religious beliefs, history, fears and triumphs of the people who incised them. Pecked in stone, these images intrigue, fascinate and often mystify us.
Many of the petroglyphs and pictographs spattered on sheltered canyon walls throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada are easily accessible to the traveler with a fondness for history spiced with mystery. Petroglyphs, the more common rock art found in this part of the country, are pictures scratched or chipped into rock. They stand out in red, gray or white stone covered with a naturally occurring dark patina that's often called "desert varnish." Pictograph is the broader term for all rock art, and more specifically for painted images, says Sabra Moore, an artist and author of "Petroglyphs: Ancient Language/Sacred Art." Moore traveled all over the Southwest to view the most significant rock-art sites for her book.
Rock art may be too dismissive a term, says Will Morris, a site interpreter at Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. "It's art, but it's not really art as we think of it today. It isn't just there for decoration," he says.
Most archaeologists believe the purpose of rock art was not decorative, but informative (marking trails, showing where to find water, or as calendars), religious (honoring sacred spots, offering prayers) and territorial (no trespassing).
Most of the petroglyphs throughout the Southwest were done by ancestral Pueblo people (formerly called Anasazi) and other Southwestern tribal groups; in northern Colorado, they were done by the prehistoric Fremont people.
"They're all over the place, and you can walk right past them without seeing them," says Meg Van Ness, an archaeologist with the Colorado Historical Society. "It depends on the time of day, and how the light hits them. They can appear or disappear."
Common images on Southwestern petroglyphs include animals, from snakes and lizards to bighorn sheep and deer.
The most common figure found from Mesa Verde to southern Arizona is Kokopelli, sometimes playing a flute, sometimes humpbacked as if carrying a pack. Most anthropologists think he represents the traveling trader, says Tammy Stone, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado at Denver and author of a new book, "The Prehistory of Colorado and Adjacent Areas."
Stone says there are marked similarities among the petroglyphs of the Southwest, and marked differences with those found farther north, which differ in style and subject matter. The northern Fremont petroglyphs tend to be realistic; the Southwestern images include more abstract shapes, with some mythical and anthropomorphic figures.
But all tend to convey the culture of the times. Some are decidedly connected to specific events -- few scientists doubt that the huge sunburst in Chaco Canyon represents anything but the supernova (a rare, extremely bright star activity easily seen from Earth) that happened in 1054, Moore says in her book. Snakes, found all over this arid land, represent where to find water, says Moore. Horned snakes are water gods. Birds flying into the sky, often into clouds, may represent prayers for rain. Moore doesn't think the images represent writing. "That's an assumption made by a literate culture about a nonliterate one," she says. Although they are not writing, they are intended as communication. Some petroglyphs are undoubtedly of a sacred nature.
But not all are serious.
One only has to view the goofy grin on the face of Kokopelli in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico to know that, says Van Ness. "You just know they were having some fun there," she says. When viewing rock art, don't just look at the drawings themselves, Moore suggests. "Go with open eyes and take time to see where they are ... and ask, what is this image trying to tell me about this place? The site is part of the art, part of the meaning."
Visitors often ask park rangers and site interpreters who among the ancient tribes created the petroglyphs. Guesses range from holy men to common folk to storytellers.
And then there's the theory espoused by a ranger at Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. She was pretty sure, from the graphic sexuality and from the location, that they were done by teen-age boys who got bored while standing lookout. "She's probably right!" Van Ness says, laughing.
How'd they do that?
There are various theories as to how the images were etched or painted in some of the places they've been found, such as high up on cliff walls. Perhaps the artists dangled by rope from the cliffs above; perhaps they used crude ladders. What seems amazing is that some of this art has remained in its pristine state after 1,000 years or more. The dry climate and inhospitable land have helped protect many sites, Stone says.
"Where they are very accessible, they also have been vandalized," she adds. Some people just can't resist adding their own graffiti to the mix. Petroglyphs all over the Southwest have been defaced, spray-painted, chalked over and shot at. Stewards of these artifacts liken defacing a petroglyph to slashing art in a museum.
Moore thinks it's more than just an impulse to destroy. "Places where [you find] drawings are often places of power. The ancients believed that if you added your drawing, you gained power, too. Although modern graffiti defiles the site, maybe there's some impulse going on there we don't understand. We all have this impulse to leave something that says, 'I was here.' "
WHEN YOU GO ...
Rock art can be found in many public (and some private) places throughout the Southwest. Here are some accessible sites you can drive to, or park and then hike to easily.
UTAH
Petroglyphs and pictographs are scattered all over the dramatic rocky landscape of southern Utah. They're found in the canyons that line Lake Powell, in Arches, Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef national parks, as well as in Fremont Indian and Goblin Valley state parks, and on the Uintah and Ouray Ute Nation lands near Duchesne. And, if you're into river running, along the walls of Desolation Canyon south of Ouray.
Capitol Reef National Park: Located in southwestern Utah. Petroglyphs don't get much more accessible than the ones lining Utah Highway 24 about a mile east of the visitor center here. There are quite a few large petroglyphs that can be easily viewed from the road, but you aren't allowed to get close or touch them. Admission to the park is $4 a vehicle. Call 435-425-3791.
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park: Located in southern Utah and northern Arizona. If you look beyond the spectacular rock formations, you'll also find some interesting rock art. Ask your guide (visitors are encouraged not to explore alone) to show you the painted handprints and other rock art, some of it pretty well hidden. Call 435-727-3287. n Within Monument Valley is Mystery Valley. Puebloan people lived here up until about 600 years ago and left behind a number of pictographs -- hand prints, human figures, antelope and bighorn sheep. The only way to visit the valley is with a Navajo guide, which can be arranged at Goulding's Trading Post. Call 435-727-3231.
NEW MEXICO
Petroglyph National Monument: One of the largest examples of rock art in the Southwest lies on the edge of the city of Albuquerque and features an estimated 10,000-15,000 figures along the wall and on the rocks of the 17-mile canyon. The gray and white drawings on black rock faces were created from 800 to 3,000 years ago and include human and animal figures and numerous abstract symbols, the meanings of which are still being debated. Any local visitor's guide will direct you to the monument, in Boca Negra Canyon. The parking lot is at 4735 Unser Blvd. N.W. Admission is free and a visitor's center offers brochures and information. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A small parking fee is charged. Call 505-899-0205.
Bandelier National Monument: Located in northern New Mexico. Along with the fascinating ruins of the Pueblo culture are other remnants of their work in the Long House Ruin. Petroglyphs and pictographs are sheltered, and thus protected, by the sheer cliffs rising above the site. No pets allowed; open daylight hours only. Admission is $10 a vehicle. Call 505-672-3861, Ext. 517.
Chaco Culture National Historic Park: Located northwest of Grants. At remote Chaco, the best petroglyphs require a day hike, but some can be viewed near the main loop road that runs through the site. It's best to take a guided tour to orient you to the canyon and its treasures. The visitor center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (6 p.m. in summer). Admission is $8 a vehicle. No food or gas are available in the park, so have a full tank of gas and bring a picnic lunch. Water is available. Call 505-786-7014 for a recording.
COLORADO
Comanche National Grasslands: South and west of Springfield and east of Trinidad, in the middle of seemingly nowhere. But the grasslands boast several wonderful petroglyph sites. n Vogel Canyon in the northern half of the grasslands, is just off Colorado 109, south of U.S. Highway 50. Take the turnoff in La Junta and watch for the signs. From the parking lot, hike about half a mile on a groomed trail, then follow a cairn-marked trail to a canyon wall filled with rock carvings. Call 719-384-2181. n Picture Canyon, in the southern part of the grasslands, has fewer but quite interesting petroglyphs, including one that looks remarkably like a spaceman! Also look for a spotted woman, and speculate what it might signify. Estimates place this art at about A.D. 0-500, likely done by Plains Indians camping here for the winter. n The rock art also is a short and easy hike from the parking lot. To get a map to the various sites in the grasslands, stop at the Colorado Division of Wildlife ranger station in Springfield. Call 719-523-6591 for Picture Canyon information. n Hicklin Springs Petroglyphs at John Martin Reservoir in Bent County (also southeastern Colorado) also are worth a side trip. What one guidebook calls "a staggering sequence of petroglyphs" represents both prehistoric artists and more recent ones (1870-1900). Hundreds of figures are both typical of those found elsewhere in the Southwest and specific to the region.
Canyon Pintado and Dragon Trail: The Rangely Museum Society, with help from Colorado Northwestern Community College, offers self-guided petroglyph tours here. Representing both the Fremont (A.D. 650-1150) and the Ute (A.D. 1200 to 1880) cultures, they include figures of buffalo, sheep and deer. Tour maps also are available at the Rangely Museum just outside of town. Call 970-675-2612 or 970-675-8476. The petroglyphs at Canyon Pintado are particularly accessible. To get to the canyon, leave Interstate 70 west and take Colorado 139 north over Douglas Pass. The Kokopelli site is right off the highway, marked with a sign. This area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and access is free.
Sandrocks Nature Trail and Petroglyphs: Located near Craig in northwestern Colorado. Carvings in the soft sandstone include hands, paws, lightning, various animals (especially horses), believed done by ancestral Puebloans to Shoshone people over a span of centuries. Call 970-824-5689 for a brochure.
Dinosaur National Monument: Located in northwestern Colorado. Overlapping the Utah border, it contains a number of petroglyph sites. The most accessible are the two sites along Cub Creek Road. You'll get a map when you enter the monument or you can pick one up at the bookstore. Admission is $10 per vehicle. Call 970-374-3000 or 435-789-2115 for general information on the monument.
Mesa Verde National Park: Located in southwestern Colorado. Known more for its ancestral Puebloan ruins than for petroglyphs, it also has a 30- by 10-meter petroglyph panel you shouldn't miss on the way to the well-preserved Spruce Tree House site. This is a moderately strenuous hike taken by few and well worth the exertion. Admission is $10 a vehicle. Call 970-529-4465.
NEVADA
Valley of Fire State Park: Located an hour's drive from Las Vegas. Take a side trip off the main road to Atlatl Rock. Park and climb the metal staircase to view the red petroglyphs etched high into the rock. Ancestral Pueblo Indians lived there from about 300 B.C. to A.D. 1150. The park is open all day, but the petroglyphs face east and are best viewed in the morning light. One can only wonder -- how did they get all the way up there to draw on the rock? Also check out the Petroglyph Canyon Trail, the trailhead being just north of the visitor center. Park and walk the sandy but level half-mile trail through a twisted canyon wallpapered with rock art. Best views are probably midday, when the sun is directly overhead. Admission: $5 per car. Call 702-397-2088.
ARIZONA
Rock Art Canyon Ranch: Located near Winslow, Ariz., these are some of the best -- and best preserved -- petroglyphs in the country. It's on private land owned by the Baird family, but you can stop at the ranch, get a cowboy guide and be taken down into Chevelon Canyon. Once down there, you'll find a lovely stream, wildlife, more greenery than you'll see for miles on either side of the spot, and some of the best-preserved pre-Columbian rock art around. The tours are available year-round, except Sundays, but don't try to find the ranch without writing or calling in advance for detailed directions on how to get there. Contact: Brantley Baird, Box 224, Joseph City, Ariz. 86032-9999; or call 520-288-3260.
Painted Desert Wilderness and Petrified Forest National Park: Located north of Interstate 40 and east of Holbrook. Don't miss the famous Newspaper Rock. Look for it on the map you get when you enter the park. It is thought this Puebloan wall of petroglyphs served not only as a record of the past, but as a calendar for those ancient people. And though you can't get close to Newspaper Rock any more, you can see it from the hiking trails at Puerco Pueblo. Admission to the area is $10 a vehicle. Open year-round. Call 520-524-6228.
HANDS OFF, PLEASE ...
Though much of it has survived centuries, rock art is very fragile. One reason it has survived so long is that few people have had access to it. Today, overt vandalism includes spray painting and shooting at petroglyphs, but there also are less obvious ways to damage the work.
When you visit: n Don't touch it. Oils from your hands and the constant wear of being touched will deface the drawing. n If you want to record it, photograph it (indirect light and cloudy days offer best results). Don't do rubbings and don't chalk the outline. Both damage the work. n Don't add your own contribution to the site. The art that's there has a meaning and may be sacred to some people. n If you see someone defacing rock art, ask them to stop or report it to a ranger. If no ranger is nearby, get a description of the vandals and the license plate number and make of their car, then report that.
-- Linda DuVal