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As you walk among the petroglyphs, you are not alone. This world is alive
with the sights and sounds of the high desert a hawk spirals down from the
mesa top, a roadrunner scurries into fragrant sase, a desert millipede
fraces waves in the sand. There is another presence beyond what we can see
or hear. People who have lived along the Rio Grande for many centuries come
alive again through images they carved on the shiny black rooks. These
images and associated archological sites in the Albuqueque area,
proveglimpses into a 12,000 year long story of human life in this area.
Petroglyph National Monument streches 17 miles along Albuqueque's west mesa
a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city's western horizon.
Authorized June 27, 1990 the 7236 acre monument is cooperatively managed by
the National Park Science and the city of Albuquerque. Petroglyph National
Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five
volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an esimated 25,000
images carved by native people and early spanish settlers many of the images
are recognizable as animals, people brands and crosses, others are more
complex. There meaning, possibly understood only by the carver. Petroglyph
National Monument is a place of respect, awe and wonderment. |
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