Why Were Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Inscriptions Made?

Navajo pictographs at Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

NPS photo.

The purpose or meaning of petroglyphs, pictographs, and inscriptions is often lost or obscured. The markings likely reflected people’s cultures, societies, and beliefs. Often, the full meaning becomes lost over time. Sometimes, descendants or historians provide insight.

Native peoples used rock markings in many ways. They noted sacred sites, warnings, plants or animals, and messages or prophesies. The markings may have told a story, marked a trail, or commemorated an event. They may have ensured fertility, successful hunting, or tracked the seasons or special celestial events. Descendants pass the memory of the markings’ significance. Many markings are part of living cultural traditions.

Europeans made inscriptions during travel and exploration. They left words, names, letters, and numbers; Christian symbols; animals; and other motifs. Travel logs and historical records provide insight into the markings. Even so, we are still left to speculate why people made the marks.

Time, space, and cultural differences make it hard to know why people in the past left rock markings. Part of our connection to them today is speculating and imagining the meanings they tell.

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Petroglyphs