Rinconada Canyon Stop 9

The view from Stop 9 on the Rinconada Canyon Trail.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Cellular Signal, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Audio Tour Stop #9: Dating petroglyphs 

(1.11 miles / 1.78 km – large petroglyph panels and sheep) 

Although archaeologists are only now developing methods to determine the exact ages of petroglyphs, they can estimate age in several ways by studying relatively dark areas and re-oxidation. They compare the style, content, and execution of petroglyphs to those of surrounding areas. They also compare designs with other, similar imagery on pottery or painted murals with known ages. The superimposition of one petroglyph over another provides another means of relative dating. Archaeologists used relative dating methods along the escarpment and arrived at the conclusion that the oldest petroglyphs were created as far back as 3,000 years ago. The practice of creating petroglyphs was adopted by the Spanish colonists and continued throughout the 1700s.  

For example, grazing sheep are portrayed in the petroglyph on the western end of the canyon. We know for certain that sheep, a non-native species, were brought by the Spanish settlers in the 1600s. With this information we can safely say that this petroglyph was made after the year 1600. What we cannot confirm is whether it was carved by an Ancestral Puebloan or a Spaniard, as by this time both cultures were creating petroglyphs.