The following is an article excerpt from the Summer 2019 Issue of American Archaeology Magazine. Become a member to subscribe and read the full issue!
By Tamara Jager Stewart
The Southwest is world-renowned for its abundance of spectacular, well-preserved rock art, and some of the most remarkable rock art sites are in New Mexico and Arizona. The following places offer some of the best petroglyphs and pictographs to be found in this region. These amazing images date from the Archaic through the Historic periods, and they were made by Native Americans, early Spanish explorers and settlers, and Anglo settlers. The rock art is rather easy to get to and in all but two places can be seen via self-guided tours.
Petroglyphs at Three Rivers Petroglyphs site | Credit: BLM
La Cieneguilla features Rio Grande-style petroglyphs | Credit: BLM
Ancestral Puebloan petroglyphs on side of rockshelter at Canyon del Muerto, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ.. | Credit: Tamara Jager Stewart, 2019
Una Vida petroglyphs at Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, AZ | Credit: Steven Koczan
COVER PHOTO: Hand petroglyphs at Piedras Marcadas, Petroglyph National Monument, NM. | Credit: Tamara Jager Stewart, 2019
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