Albuquerque, NM Part II: History - Petroglyph National Monument
On our way back to the motor home from Old Town, we stopped at Petroglyph National Monument, which is located a few miles north of Albuquerque. Petroglyphs are images that were etched into stone. Petroglyph National Monument protects a variety of natural and cultural sites containing up to 20,000 images that include animals, birds, people, and geometric and other designs. Most of the images were carved by Native Americans, but some were carved by early settlers.
The photo below shows the entrance to the visitor center. Notice the chili pepper ristras hanging from the posts.
Paleo-Indians were the first pre-historic inhabitants of the area. Later inhabitants include the Mogollion (pronounced Muggy-YONE) and the Ancestral Puebloans. By the time the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, there were villages of Puebloans, as well as groups of Navajo, Apache, and Ute. The Native American rock etchings at Petroglyph National Monument were probably done 400 to 700 years ago, although some may have be as much as 2000 to 3000 years old.
In the 1600s, heirs of Spanish land grant recipients carved crosses and sheep brands into the rocks. In the 1800s, other explorers and settlers also chiseled their names and dates into the rocks.
The rock at Petroglyph National Monument is volcanic basalt. The lava flowed from a large crack in the earth's crust to the west. Several cinder cones that formed along this fissure can still be seen at the western edge of the national monument.
Exposed rocks in arid regions frequently develop a dark coating called desert varnish. The earlier images in Petroglyph National Monument were made by hammering directly against a stone face or boulder with another stone to chip through the desert varnish to expose the lighter-colored rock below. Later, a technique was developed where one stone was used as a hammer to strike against a second stone, which was used as a chisel. This later method provided better control.
There are two hiking trails where petroglyphs can be viewed - a shorter one to the top of the mesa at Boca Negra Canyon (about one hour round trip) and a longer one at Rinconada Canyon (over two hours round trip). There is also a trail at the western edge of the national monument (right up the road from the interstate exit where our campground was located) to the cinder cones. Since it was mid-afternoon, we opted for the shorter trail at Boca Negra Canyon.
As we said, this trail involved a climb to the top of the mesa. Margery took off with a pretty big lead after Paul backtracked a hundred yards or so to the car to get the binoculars.
The trail was pretty rugged with large boulders and bowling ball-sized loose rocks along the path. We haven't mentioned Margery's knees for a long time because they have been doing so well. This steep, rugged climb was no problem either.
There were numerous petroglyphs visible on the way up the trail. The one below is a person with a geometric shape below.
Unfortunately, some of the petroglyphs, like the upper left corner of the one shown in the photo below, have had pieces chipped away by vandals, souvenir hunters, or by freezing and thawing.
This next petroglyph is starting to fade and has a large crack running across the middle.
On the way up the trail, we could see Sandia Peak off to the east with the northern suburbs of Albuquerque in the foreground. We're looking forward to exploring Sandia Peak later in the week.
The trail back down to the parking area follows a slightly different path. We saw the petroglyphs in the next photo on the way down the trail. The figures on the left are two birds facing each other.
No one really knows what the petroglyphs mean. Did they have religious significance? What was their message? Were they art? Were they someone's way of saying "I was here" or "This is my territory?" Or were they just ancient graffiti? We'll probably never know.
Back down in the parking area, Paul noticed curly dock growing in various locations. Although it is a difficult-to-control weed in the lawn or garden, the plant is fairly attractive in this desert setting. Curly dock, which is sometimes called wild rhubarb, is also edible.
From Petroglyph National Monument, it was only a short distance back to the motor home where we had dinner and relaxed for the evening. There is a lot to do and see in the Albuquerque area, so check back to see what else we're up to.