Rock Art Expedition




	At several sites in the Sedona area, ancient Indians left behind a variety of designs and representations of animals and people which they cut or painted on rocks. One of the richest collections of petroglyphs -- historic images etched in stone -- in the Southwest can be seen on this Pink Jeep Tour. Petroglyphs were made by scratching or pecking designs on rocks with hammer stones or choppers. The Indians often chose rocks coated with desert-varnish for petroglyphs since their natural patina, when penetrated, exposed the underlying, lighter-toned raw rock. Motives for the creation of such artwork are not clearly understood, but it is believed that some of the designs had religious significance. Petroglyphs have been given many different interpretations over the years; from records of dreams to graffiti, from ancient metaphorical myths to a form of writing. While it is possible that this ancient art could have a number of meanings, these cultures' common reverence for their dreams and the otherworldly nature of their images suggests they were drawn from a well of intuitive knowledge and creativity.



	Spirals are thought to represent the people moving into an area (clockwise spirals) or leaving an area (counter-clockwise spirals).

	A large collection of moose and other petroglyphs. In particular, note the cross near the upper right and elsewhere. Crosses are quite prevalent in rock art. There are also more spirals, a person with exaggerated hands and feet, turtles and two animals copulating near the middle right.

	The animal at the top is thought to be either an exaggerated mountain lion or a saber-tooth tiger. If it's the latter, these carvings would be very old indeed. There is yet another cross. The three "wishbone" shapes at the bottom are actually thought to be shaman with exaggerated arms which are perhaps grounding them as they travel astrally (represented by the people floating above them) to a dangerous place (represented by the frightening feline with the exaggerated claws and fangs).

	The Tallman and a herd of animals. The Tallman figures prominently in the legends of the Hopi. Hopi Indian legends and life ways suggest that the Southern Sinagua, a prehistoric people of the Sedona region who are thought to be responsible for much of the rock art in the Sedona region, may have joined them on their mesas to the northwest when the Sinagua abandoned the Verde Valley in the early 1400s.

	A Shaman wearing a headdress and some kind of animal.

	© All pictures are Copyright 1999 - 2001 Grisel Gonzalez