La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs Explained

The La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs are a rock art site near Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is a mesa above the Sante Fe River containing thousands of petroglyphs. Followers of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro also pass this site.^[1]

History

The petroglyphs were created by speakers of the Keres and Tanoan languages from the 13th and 17th centuries. Their descendants live in the Cochiti and Santo Domingo pueblos.^{[1] [2]} A contrasting theory states the markings were made from 8000 to 2000 BC.^[3]

Features

Many figures depict a humpbacked flute player, the fertility deity Kokopelli, and birds.^{[1] [4]} A survey in 1991 recorded 1,385 bird figures out of the over 4400 total.^[5] The petroglyphs' meanings, despite being studied extensively, are unknown. Many of the etchings are also indecipherable.^[6] The northern part of the site is less-studied.^[5]

Threats

The area is commonly used for target practice for paintball players, resulting in vandalism and the defacement of rock art. Graffiti is also prevalent.^{[5] [4]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs . 2024-02-04 . . en . February 22, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240222184139/https://www.blm.gov/visit/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs . live .
2. Web site: Cerva . Gina Rae La . 2022-02-01 . Ancient New Mexican Rock Art Was Just Vandalized with Swastikas and Racial Slurs . 2024-02-06 . Outside Online . en-US . February 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230206154843/https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs-vandalized-racial-slurs/ . live .
3. Web site: Thomas . Alaina . 2022-10-27 . La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs: Everything You Need to Know . 2024-02-06 . Beyond The Moments . en-US . February 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206011309/https://beyondthemoments.com/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs-everything-you-need-to-know/ . live .
4. Web site: La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs . 2024-02-06 . GJHikes . July 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706181326/https://www.gjhikes.com/2019/09/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs.html . live .
5. Web site: Galisteo Basin Archaeology - La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs . 2024-02-06 . New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies . February 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206011309/https://galisteo.nmarchaeology.org/sites/la-cieneguilla-petroglyphs.html . live .
6. Web site: 2016-09-20 . An Insider's Guide to Walking Ancient Paths and Rock Art . 2024-02-04 . Santa Fe Tourism . en-us . February 6, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206011309/https://www.santafe.org/blog/post/petroglyphs/ . live .