JUNE  9 & 10, 2013  PETRO GLYPH NATIONAL MONUMENT  THEN ON TO ALBURQUERQUE

We decided to stay another day in Alamogordo so that we could explore the Petro glyph National Monument.  

 

The area of the Monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including 5 volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 24,000 images carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers.  We decided to restrict our time to the carved images which we viewed by taking a short 2 mile hike along a small ridge. 

 

 

Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex.  Their meaning was, possibly, understood only by the carver.

 

 

 

The ridge we climbed also gave us a nice view of the surrounding area including the Tularosa Basin and the Sacramento Mountains.

 

Once we finished the hike we headed over to a deserted village that once hosted the people who made the carvings.   The inhabitants who resided here over 600 years ago when they made the carvings were of the Jornada Mogollon tribe. Why they moved on is any bodies guess. 

When we got to the village there wasn’t much to look at as all of the building had completed deteriorated.  

 

The drawing is a replica of what a multi-family dwelling might look like.

Once we finished hiking around the village which didn’t take too long we decided to call it a day.  It being 107 degrees might have had something to do with it. 

The next day (Monday June 10^th) we were up early to get ready for our drive to Albuquerque which was about 200 miles up the road.  The drive was pretty uneventful, which is always a good thing. Kathy took a few pictures out of the front window of the coach that shows some of the terrain we travelled through.  Excuse the dirty windows. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived safely at the High Desert RV Park in Albuquerque and settled in for a week.  I think the following week is going to be pretty low key.