Petroglyph National Monument

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Date: February 25, 2011

Petroglyphs
On the border of Albuquerque is a basalt escarpment formed from past eruptions of volcanoes, a few of which are located within Petroglyph National Monument.  On these rocks are over 20,000 images of a wide variety of subjects, including people, animals, and mysterious figures that were made as long as 3,000 years ago.

Cottontail

Petroglyph National Monument has four sections with trails where you can see the petroglyphs.  These sections are: Volcanoes, Rinconada Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon.  I only had time to visit Boca Negra Canyon, which has petroglyphs around the parking area and a short trail to the top of the bluff overlooking Albuquerque.

Albuquerque from the Boca Negra overlook
The monument was created in 1990 at possibly the latest time to protect the petroglyphs.  The development of Albuquerque today comes directly up to the monument's border, and a four lane highway was built by the city across a section near Boca Negra Canyon.

Petroglyphs



© Copyright 2017 Matthew Pintar. All rights reserved.







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