Symbols & Their Mysteries

Petroglyph comes from the Greek words “petro” meaning stone and "glyphein" meaning to carve. They are created by removing rock surface either by picking or carving. Petroglyphs can be found all over the world and some can de as old as 40,000 such as in Australia. They were made until the 20th Century by by the Southwestern cultures. These glyphs depict many things: from warriors to animals and the Death god.

Group of Warriors, Rinconda Canyon

Home to over 24,000 petroglyphs, this 17-mile wide monument (established in June 1990) is located in western side of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The monument is managed by the National Park Service and cooperation with the City of Albuquerque. The western boundary features a chain of dormant volcanoes; Butte volcano in the northwest corner and to its south the Bond, Vulcan, Black and JA volcanoes.

Jose-Pierre Estrada on top of JA Volcano, Petroglyph National Monument

Vulcan Volcano, Petroglyph National Monument

Petroglyph National Monument also protects a variety of archeological sites and an estimated 24,000 petroglyphs carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers. Most of the glyphs are recognizable as animals and people, but the more complex ones are obscure and their meaning is only understood by the artist that carved them centuries ago.

Spirals and Hands, Rinconada Canyon

Two thousand or more years ago, hunter-gatherers began etching their circles, "squiggly" lines, and other curvilinear abstract symbols. They are among the oldest petroglyphs in the area and are dated as far back to the Archaic period. As time goes by, the rock art begins to be more geometric and more iconic to depict beings such as shamans and have more symbolic meaning.

More recent petroglyphs reflect the Rio Grande Style starting around 1300 CE, when Puebloan ancestors began emigrating from the Four Corners Region. The style includes human figures such as flute players and dancers, to masked figures and animals such as serpents, birds, big horn sheep, and mountain lions. Proof of their relations is some of the petroglyphs designs match those appearing on pottery such as those associated with Pueblo 1 culture.

Spanish colonists had an impact on the native soceities when they arrived in the late 17th century. spanish authorities repressed Pueblo religious life and rituals. Occasionaly Spanish markings, the Christian cross, were etched along the natives glyphs as they believed to have evil effects or relation to pagan symbols.