Petroglyphs


Long before "modern" man came to the Valley of the Sun, the McDowell Mountains provided a home to prehistoric men and women, who spent their lives, raised their families, and left us with some evidence of their lives and culture. Petroglyphs are the result of hours of hand-chiseling with rock against rock to produce pictures in the rock of the animals that fed them, the sun, the snake and other things that were important to the pre-historic occupants of this land.

Some think these petroglyphs were made by the Hohokam people. They may have been carved into the rocks from several hundred to over a thousand years ago.

If you are lucky enough to find a petroglyph site, PLEASE LOOK BUT DON"T TOUCH. Although it may seem harmless to touch the rock, the small quantities of human oils, dirt and friction can combine to erode and eventually make these valuable reminders of the past slowly disappear. Small microorganisms thrive on the oils and dirt and will accelerate the destruction of this ancient rock art.



© John R McNeill



© John R McNeill



© John R McNeill