Rinconada Canyon Stop 5

The view from Stop 5 on the Rinconada Canyon Trail

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Cellular Signal, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Audio Tour Stop #5: How the petroglyphs were created 

(0.8 miles / 1.28 km) 

You have now hiked 8/10 of a mile or 1.3 kilometers. If you look to your right, you will see some well-defined petroglyphs. What do they look like to you? Identification of some petroglyphs is based on interpretation by today’s Pueblo people. We cannot say for certain what all the images represent, nor is it appropriate for modern Pueblos to reveal the meaning of many petroglyphs to others. Pueblo nations have differing opinions on meanings and any single image may have complex or multiple meanings based on its context.  

For example, the one on the left has been interpreted as a type of bird, possibly a hummingbird with its accentuated long beak compared to its small body. Several species of hummingbirds can be found in the Monument and are common symbols in southwest pottery and jewelry. Another interpretation is a bird taking or letting go of a breath. Some Indigenous cultures believe that every living, breathing creature has a life breath or breath line, which takes something from the earth as they breathe in and gives it back as they breathe out. This could be the bird’s breath line.  

Next to it, there is another petroglyph, most likely a stone tool. Hand-held stone tools were used by the Ancestral Puebloans to carefully remove the thin layer of desert varnish from the basalt boulders, exposing the lighter color underneath. This method provides the contrast between the base rock and the underlying surface, allowing petroglyphs to be visible for centuries.  

Continue a short distance to the next stop, where you will learn about some of the threats facing these valuable cultural treasures.