Saturday, November 12, 2016

Petroglyph National Monument

We went to Albuquerque on our SW road trip specifically to see the hot air balloon festival, but while we were there we also checked out the Petroglyph National Monument. Petroglyphs are designs and symbols that have been carved into rocks. They were created by Native Americans and Spanish settlers and can be found all over this region. The ones at the Petroglyph National monument are 400 - 700 years old and are found right in the city of Albuquerque, so you don't have to drive far. You can also access the carvings by some very, very short and easy hikes. I loved exploring the drawings. While some of the carvings represent obvious things (like a snake) others were totally baffling. It's hard to believe these drawings are still here after all this time. I highly recommend seeking them out if you are ever in the SW area (there are also plenty by Santa Fe, western Colorado, eastern Arizona, and Utah). Here's a look at some of my favorites.