Rinconada Canyon Stop 4

The view from Stop 4 on the Rinconada Canyon Trail.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Cellular Signal, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Audio Tour Stop #4: The Petroglyphs 

(0.75 miles / 1.2 km- Where the first obvious petroglyphs become visible/Thunderbirds) 

You have now hiked ¾ of a mile or 1.2 kilometers and are at the point where you will start to see petroglyphs. Watch your step as you walk but remember to look to your right at the volcanic escarpment for petroglyph-viewing. Keep an eye out for soaring turkey vultures and listen for the song of a rock wren as you continue your hike.  

Petroglyphs offer the opportunity to think about how humans interacted both with nature and with each other. As you view the images, consider how they fit into the landscape and their importance to Indigenous and Hispanic cultures and religious beliefs.  

The majority of these petroglyphs you are seeing were made by the Ancestral Puebloans, the ancestors of modern Pueblo people. There are many complex and diverse reasons why the Ancestral Puebloans made their petroglyphs here. Some possible reasons are based on cultural and spiritual beliefs. Some Indigenous groups believe volcanic landscapes, such as this one, are sacred places. Other reasons may include marking trade routes, recording a specific event, or simply communicating to others using imagery. The Ancestral Puebloans did not use a written language with developed letters, so it is likely that some of these petroglyphs were used as symbols of communication.  

Many who visit this landscape wonder what these petroglyphs mean or what they are supposed to represent. You will learn more at the next stop where additional petroglyphs are visible. As you travel, think about what these images mean to you.