Santa Fe River Mesa Overlook Petroglyphs

In a recent trip to the Santa Fe River jobsite I was lucky enough to take a side-trip through the horizontal snow up onto the low mesa overlooking La Cienega and Arroyo Calabasas. There, in the fragrant pollinating juniper there are hundreds of classic Pueblo petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are distinguished from pictographs because they are pecked into the desert varnish of large granite boulders to reveal the lighter rock underneath. Their age can sometimes be determined by the extinct of varnish re-growth. These petroglyphs are at least serveral hundred years old. Furthermore, the amount of work required to hammer away detailed images is unlikely to be tolerated by modern day copycats.


Shaman/Huntress Female (note characteristic vagina)

Kokopelli (with prominent archaic jackrabbit ear and separate flute/penis)


Lizard (probably not a turtle due to lack of stereotypical shell markings)


I did not find any kachinas (faces). Here is a comparison of common Kachina elements from Puerco Ruin (Petrified Forest National Park) and vicinity. a-c Antelope or deer kachinas; d-e solstice kachines; f-h, k-u unknown types; i-j Mudheads; v-x possible kachines; y-ii ogre kachinas.