petroglyphs of New Mexico | Wandering through Time and Place

Tag: petroglyphs of New Mexico
- Backyard Rock Art… Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque N.M.
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
  
  Mar 16th
  
  A note to our blogging friends: As the world reels from the Coronavirus, Peggy and I want to wish each of you the best in making it through this world-wide pandemic, the likes of which we have never experienced. Our travel plans, like yours, have been put on hold as we hunker down at our Oregon home, avoid as much social contact as possible, and wait for the worst to pass. Assuming we are able to avoid the virus, I will continue to blog, possibly relying on older materials. In the meantime, be careful and be safe. Curt and Peggy
  
  You might not believe it from this photo, but the Petroglyph National Monument is located minutes away from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Petroglyphs are found throughout these rocks along some 17 miles of this volcanic escarpment. The blips you can see on the horizon are small volcanos. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  This is a photo I took at the beginning of the escarpment. Suburbs literally back up to the National Monument. Downtown Albuquerque can be seen in the distance.
  
  Peggy and I parked Quivera in a small parking lot for the Petroglyph National Monument that we found behind a fast food restaurant. Fifty yards up the trail we began to find petroglyphs. Archeologists believe that there are around 25,000 in the 17 miles.
  
  The rock I am standing next to provides an idea of just how concentrated the petroglyphs can be at the Monument as well as providing a perspective on their size. The grumpy looking circular guy on the left is the god of death. He will return in Friday’s post. Scary huh. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  It is estimated that the majority of the petroglyphs were carved between 1300 and 1680 CE by ancestors of present day Pueblo people, but some of the petroglyphs have been dated back to over 2000 years ago. Many of the petroglyphs we found at the Monument are similar to others we’ve found throughout the Southwest. For example, does the following rock art look familiar?
  
  I named a similar petroglyph that we found at Three Rivers Cat Woman. I thought it was interesting on how this rock art was created on a rounded surface. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  Surprise! Check out the feet. My ‘cat woman’ has the paws of a badger.
  
  You also met up with the Horned Serpent on my post about snakes at Three Rivers’ petroglyph site. Here he is coiled up. I alway assume rattlesnakes mean business when I find them coiled up with their tails rattling at 50 times per second and ready to strike. Experts claim that the snake can only strike about half the length of its body. Assuming you know the length of the body, you can determine how close you can get. I always leave an extra ten feet for margin of error. (Grin)
  
  Peggy and I visited the site at absolutely the wrong time for photography: high noon. (Being the old hands we are with our cameras, you think we would know better.) As a result, a number of the photos like cat/badger woman aren’t as clear as we like— even with photo processing.
  
  Headwear is important in petroglyphs.
  
  Speaking of headdresses, check out the one on this petroglyph. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  Here is probably the most recognized character in petroglyphs across the Southwest, Kokopelli and his seductive flute. A second Kokopelli plays away in front.
  
  It appears to me that Kokopelli is playing a duet here under a full moon.
  
  I was amused by this fellow with shaky legs. Reminds me of a time I hiked into the Grand Canyon when I was a bit on the pudgy side. That’s what my legs were doing by the time I reached the bottom.
  
  If people want a ring in their nose or their bellybutton, it’s their business. Why not. But it’s not for me. No thanks. But how about an arrow in your nose like this guy sports. Ouch! (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  My first thought on seeing this was Big Bird. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  But a closer inspection showed Big Bird’s head was actually a face. And not a happy one. The line you see coming down from the right eye probably represents crying.
  
  Having dealt with the Big Bird that wasn’t, here are a few more animal petroglyphs that may or may not be what they seem. This rock art receives my nomination for the strangest. I’d say anteater on the bottom, if they made their way that far north. On top, a really wild guess would be a horned serpent hitching a ride.
  
  Check out the petroglyph on the left. If an anteater making its way north seems strange, you really have to wonder about an alligator in the deserts of the Southwest. Maybe it’s a fat lizard. I also liked the caterpillar dog on the right.
  
  Another large bird with a very big bill, or something.
  
  Doggie? Or does that long nose suggest another anteater?
  
  Your basic dog or coyote… Maybe.
  
  I’ll close today with this dramatic mask, including ear rings.
  
  WEDNESDAY’S POST: Flowers of the Pacific Crest Trail.
  
  Posted in On the Road US | Tagged Petroglyph National Monument, Petroglyphs close to Albuquerque N.M., petroglyphs of New Mexico
- Beauty and Mystery… The Three Rivers’ Petroglyph Site
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
  
  Mar 13th
  
  This cottonwood decked out in fall colors was one of many views we had from the ridge where Peggy and I wandered among the rocks searching for rock art at the Three Rivers’ petroglyph site in New Mexico.
  
  I find petroglyphs mysterious and magical. My attraction to the so-called primitive art started when I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa way back in the 60s. I use the words ‘so-called’ because the art carries an inherent power and a simple beauty— both of which were recognized by artists such as Matisse and Picasso in the early 1900s— that defies the word primitive.
  
  An African medicine mask I brought back from West Africa.
  
  Petroglyphs and pictographs have the ability to transport us into another world and time— and, in so doing, enrich our lives.
  
  While I have two more posts on petroglyphs from other sites we visited on our Southwest tour last fall, I am wrapping up my posts on the Three Rivers Petroglyph National Recreation Site today. It is a special place that contains over 21,000 petroglyphs representing prehistoric Jornada Mogollon rock art created between 900 and 1400 CE. Peggy and I visited the area once before and will likely visit it again. Judging from our photos, we still have another 20,000 or so petroglyphs to find! (Grin) Aside from that, the beauty of the area alone would draw us back.
  
  Peggy and I have often found petroglyphs located in beautiful areas and couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t a factor in deciding where to locate rock art. If I were going to peck out a masterpiece, I’d want this view. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  The stream flowing through the area shown by these colorful cottonwoods was a village site for the Jornada.
  
  While some petroglyphs are easily recognizable, like a roadrunner going after a rattle snake, others, such as this human-like figure grafted on to what appears to be an octopus, are mind boggling. I call him Octoman.
  
  At first, Peggy and I couldn’t identify this bird. Checking out the Sibley Guide to Birds afterwards, we determined it was a roadrunner with its crest down. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  Petroglyphs can be quite simple like this stick figure. Maybe it was the shaman’s day to take his child to work and he handed her a rock to peck with.
  
  More sophisticated but what’s the meaning? It had me starry eyed.
  
  Bighorn sheep petroglyphs are found throughout the Southwest. Some of the most sophisticated are found at Three Rivers. Note the use of the bump in the rock for the eye.
  
  And this head on view. Note how the horns are curved back in a realistic way, even with a degree of perspective..
  
  I may be wrong, but I looked at this and saw a fox. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  No question about this fish. Patterns are often tied into petroglyphs of animals, and in this case, fish. They may have meaning or they may just be decorations.
  
  An insect also had patterns.
  
  Just for fun, I think this is a dragonfly.
  
  I found both the shading and the the eye impressive here.
  
  Another view of the surrounding area. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)
  
  Part of the mystery for me is trying to figure out what I am looking at. The triangle in the box is obvious as is the circle on the right. But is that a skull above the triangle with chin, mouth and eyes? Is there an arm over to the left? Or is my imagination working overtime again?
  
  I’ll close my Three Rivers’ posts with photos of my favorite rock art from the site: this mountain lion with its tail proudly folded over his back.
  
  A look at the rock including other rock art.
  
  Looking up at the rock from below. My final photo today.
  
  MONDAY’S POST: Think you have to go traipsing off to remote corners of the Southwest to find petroglyphs? Think again. The Petroglyph National Monument sits on the edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can be there within 15 minutes from downtown.
  
  Posted in On the Road US | Tagged petroglyphs of New Mexico, Three Rivers Petroglyph National Recreation Area
- Pass the Datura, Please… I Want to Make a Square.
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
  
  Aug 2nd
  
  Geometrical forms are often found in rock art, and the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is no exception. The body of this horse with its ears back and tail sticking out is filled with squares. I’m wondering if its pose is a result of eating Datura, whose seed are represented by the two circles. Or maybe it just spotted the horse-sized snake off to the right. My ears would be back and tail sticking out too.
  
  Datura, one of Georgia O’Keeffe’s favorite flowers to paint, is a strong hallucinogen, and dangerous. Shamans of the western US often used it to induce visions and travel on their journeys into other worlds. It seems quite likely that many of the stranger petroglyphs found at Three Rivers were inspired by its use. There is also a theory that many of the geometric patterns found in rock art sites throughout the world are hard-wired into the brained and are discovered through the use of hallucinogenic drugs.
  
  Datura, a beautiful but dangerous plant is also known as Jimson Weed. I took this photo along the American River Parkway in Sacramento.
  
  I’ve always been amused by how Datura earned its Jimson (Jamestown) Weed name. Apparently the residents of Jamestown fed the plant to British soldiers in 1676 who had been sent to quell a rebellion by the townsfolk. One of the soldiers spent his time trying to blow a feather up into the air while another sat naked in a corner and made faces at them. The other soldiers were similarly effected.
  
  Following are a few of the petroglyphs we found at Three Rivers that featured geometric forms and were perhaps inspired by the use of Datura.
  
  This particular petroglyph at Three Rivers reminded me of a spiral galaxy. Maybe it was supposed to.
  
  This large petroglyph was laid out like a maze.
  
  Another large rock petroglyph. This one of squares with one of the squares filled with further squares.
  
  Another maze like petroglyph. Following the spiral takes you to the center of this large circle.
  
  Lacking the geometric look of the above petroglyphs, this may be a ladder leading down to a map of personal crop sites. Many Native Americans lived in cliff dwellings and would travel by ladder to farms below. I wonder if the footprint isn’t saying ‘walk this way.’
  
  Here’s a pattern that you might expect to find in a modern-day Navajo blanket.
  
  Okay, I’m thinking Datura here. The wavy lines might actually represent a river, but the eyes? (On the top maps I use backpacking, they would represent two depressions in the land.)
  
  Circles are common at Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. This may represent the sun.
  
  And I conclude my posts on Three Rivers with what might be another candidate for Datura influence.
  
  NEXT POST: Continuing my series on petroglyphs, I’ll travel up to Sego Canyon in Utah. Since I am out backpacking in the Sierra’s, I’ll respond to comments on my return.
  
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  Posted in On the Road US | Tagged datura and petroglyphs, petroglyphs of New Mexico, photography, Three Rivers Petroglyph site, travel blog
- Bug Eyed Alien or Shamanistic Vision… The Rock Art of the Three Rivers’ Petroglyph Site: Part 2
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Curt Mekemson
  
  Jun 30th
  
  This is one of my favorite petroglyphs from Three Rivers. It makes me want to say, BOO! So, is it a bug-eyed alien or a shamanistic vision?
  
  Peggy and I are still off playing (details to come later), so I am continuing to revisit earlier posts I did on the Three Rivers’ Petroglyph National Recreational Site located in south central New Mexico.
  
  A lot of guessing takes place in determining the meaning of rock art. Present day Native American myths and rituals provide some clues. Others can be deduced from the petroglyph itself. An antelope filled full of arrows relates to hunting, but is it a record of an actual event or a hopeful prediction of the future?
  
  Today I am featuring petroglyphs from the Three Rivers site that represent humans and gods. Some look quite alien, while others appear quite human. It’s assumed that shamanistic activities and visions were often the inspiration behind petroglyphs. Or the inspiration might be as common (and dramatic) as a woman having a baby, which is reflected in a number of Three Rivers’ petroglyphs.
  
  This petroglyph of a man struck me as quite realistic. Does he look like anyone you know?
  
  This fellow is a bit further out. I am assuming he is a Shaman either exorcising a demon or having a bad trip. (Since no one can be sure of the actual meaning of rock art, you are free to speculate.) The circle surrounded by dots just below his chest, is thought to represent Datura, a powerful hallucinogen.
  
  A sad fellow, I thought at first, given his downturned mouth. But then I noted the eyes. And are those cat whiskers on his cheeks?
  
  Okay, scary.
  
  A petroglyph of a woman in this position is usually assumed to be having a baby. She’s even screaming, or practicing deep breathing.
  
  Here’s another example. A little empathy, please.
  
  Often the figures are assumed to represent gods. This one could be corn.
  
  This final photo is to prepare you for my next post where I will feature some of the wildlife of Three Rivers. This is a rather magnificent mountain lion.
  
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  Posted in National Parks, On the Road US | Tagged men and gods petroglyphs, petroglyphs of New Mexico, photographs, shamans and petroglyphs., Three Rivers Petroglyph site in New Mexico, travel blog
- Bush Devil Ate Sam
  The Bush Devil Ate Sam is an important record and a serious story, yet told easily, and with delightful humor. This is one of the most satisfying books I have ever read, because it entertained me thoroughly AND made me feel better informed. —Hilary Custance Green: British Author... Click on the image to learn more about my book, the Bush Devil Ate Sam, and find out where it can be ordered.
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