Piedras Marcadas Canyon

Piedras Marcadas Canyon. . , Piedras Marcadas Canyon , The warmth of the sun, the whispers of the wind, the volcanic boulders, native plants, and desert animals are what the Pueblo people and other visitors to this volcanic landscape valued. Ancestral Puebloans were dependent upon natural resources for their daily survival. The relationship between the earth and humans is inferred through imagery. While there are many similiarities between images found on kiva murals and painted pottery, the original meaning of each petroglyph is known only by its creator. Many of the images are also spiritual messages – messages in the form of what we today call petroglyphs., Piedras Marcadas Canyon trail enables visitors to see hundreds of petroglyphs while walking along a moderate, sandy dirt path that follows the curve of the volcanic escarpment. The name of this canyon, piedras (rocks) marcadas (marked) was named by the early Spanish settlers who came to inhabit what is now known as western Albuquerque during the mid-1600s. Most of the petroglyphs were made by the Ancestral Pueblo people 400-700 years ago. They used stone tools to peck and chip away the basalt boulder's dark desert varnish exposing the lighter, true gray color of basalt beneath. The images have profound cultural and spiritual significance for today's Pueblo people and many Southwest Indians. Spanish explorers also wielded their influence as several historic engravings (such as crosses, cattle and sheep brands) can be seen along the escarpment.