Petroglyph National Monument

An amazing array of designs

OK, I was supposed to be heading home, but I had taken too much time hiking and generally enjoying myself and I just discovered that Petroglyph National Monument, which is in Albuquerque, closes at 5:00 p.m. 

For a minute, I thought I wouldn't get to see these

Damn government cuts! 

Petroglyph National Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 24,000 images carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers. 

The variety (and quantity) is astonishing

Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex. Although there is speculation on what these complex ones mean, no one really knows. 

Most of these are pretty obvious

Petroglyphs are rock carvings (rock paintings are called pictographs) made by pecking directly on the rock surface using a stone chisel and a hammerstone. When the desert varnish (or patina) on the surface of the rock is chipped off, the lighter rock underneath is exposed, creating the petroglyph. What is fascinating is that hundreds of years after the surfaces are chipped, you can still see the carvings.

These are more abstract

It seemed highly unlikely that I could make it there by 5:00. But, I actually screeched into the Visitor Center at 4:56 p.m. I got my stamp, picked up a map and inquired as to whether any sections were open after 5:00. Turns out that Piedras Marcadas ("marked rocks") Canyon (which sits in a residential neighborhood) is. 

So odd that this ancient place is in a neighborhood (parking is in the local park)

So, off I went, past the Sonic and the upscale houses into an open area with sand trails ringed by a tumble of volcanic rocks covered with petroglyphs. 

The path (the petroglyphs are on those rocks on the hills)

The only wildlife I saw were bunnies - lots of them.

The bunnies are actually Jack Rabbits

After my hike, I found a hotel and went in search of good New Mexican food. Alas, it appears everything in Albuquerque closes at 8:00 p.m. and I was exhausted. Sadly, dinner was Wendy's drive-through. 

The next morning -- fully intending to head home quickly -- I stopped in Boca Negra ("black mouth") Canyon. 

Some Boca Negra petroglyphs

The ranger said all the trails were paved, so I started out in flip-flops. Not such a good idea because the first trail I picked wound up and down a hill. Still, I made it. 

Rough going

Looks good to me

Then, I hiked the short "Macaw" trail, which travels through an area with about 100 petroglyphs..  

The name comes from one prominent design that many experts (but not all) say is a Macaw. 

Although not native to the area, Parrots were traded with Mexican tribes, so it's possible that the carvers had seen Macaws

What do you think? 

Then I headed for home - or was I?

Trip Date: June 7-13, 2014