You can't turn a corner in New Mexico without coming face to face with the ancient inhabitants of the southwest. The rocks still show us cryptical artwork of these peoples, and I have enjoyed finding and viewing it.
What does it all mean? I honestly have no idea! Even the experts speculate. All I know is that people spent countless hours pecking, scraping and painting these designs, and that it was important to them in ways we will never fully understand.
Many of the photos in this gallery were taken along the Santa Fe River, and are labeled by the nearest settlement: La Bajada, La Cienega or La Cieneguilla. The Crow Canyon petroglyphs are Navajo, and located in San Juan County, New Mexico. The Horseshoe Canyon pictographs feature the famous "Grand Gallery" from Utah's Canyonlands National Park.
One New Mexico location is the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, near Alamogordo, and another is Petroglyph National Monument, inside the Albuquerque metro area. Both sites feature many thousands of glyphs. Another great area is the Galisteo basin, but access is difficult at this time.
Rock Art
