Ok, they’re not exactly my own, but I can pretend, can’t I? As I was chasing off a trespasser one day, he mentioned he had heard that there was a petroglyph of a rattlesnake that could be seen from the dirt road that leads back into here from the highway. I was a tad skeptical, but started looking for it each time I headed out. I finally looked in the right place one day and saw it.Since then, I’ve led intrepid visitors up the cliff to see this rock art up close and personal. I’ve tried to figure out how old it is and who might have carved it and what it might mean, and all I’ve determined is: it’s really old, it may have been carved by any number of native peoples who once lived around here, and it’s anybody’s guess what it means. I do know that it’s really cool.
There are dozens of petroglyphs all along the edge of this cliff.
Many more have tumbled down as the cliff has eroded. It’s sacred ground, to be sure, and a well-kept secret around these parts. Despite its proximity to the highway and the dirt road below it, vandals have left it alone, except for one knucklehead who carved his initials nearby.
I’ve posted a full set of petroglyph pictures on my Flickr page, if you’d like to look at them up close. I’ll keep their exact location a secret, but if you ever happen to be in central New Mexico and want to get the bird’s eye view, just let me know–and bring your hiking boots.
Notch another one up for a move to New Mexico - wow!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely live in a special place.
Very cool!
ReplyDeleteWow, that is pretty cool! What a fabulous piece of history you have there!
ReplyDeleteLOL...obviously this was way back in the beginning...you only have three comments before mine?!? And actually, you posted this before I ever started blogging and found your blog.
ReplyDeleteThese are just awesome!! Yes, it's a good idea to keep the location a secret...or you'll have lots of bus loads of people knockin' at the gate of the 7MSN!