Petroglyph National Monument is home to more than 20,000 ancient rock carvings

The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - Suburbia is on one side of the street, traces of an ancient people on the other.

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But it's easy to forget the 21st century within Petroglyph National Monument, which is home to more than 20,000 images pecked into dark boulders by the ancient ancestors of today's American Indians, Spanish settlers and later visitors.

Trails wind through desert scrub and the remnants of massive lava flows. And seemingly every few feet, there are remarkable images and symbols chiseled into dark basalt boulders.

As the sun rises and sets, the boulders are cast in different hues, from chocolate brown to reddish orange. Light and shadow play tricks with the petroglyphs; walk along the same trail twice and you're likely to see images that you missed before.

Diane Souder, chief of interpretation and outreach at the monument, recalls telling one visitor about the more than 3,000 petroglyphs in its Rinconada Canyon section.

"He came back and said, 'I only saw 728,'" she recalls. "The reality is, the Pueblo people say the images choose when, and to whom, to reveal themselves. Sometimes you walk right by them ..."

Some of the images are easy to identify: handprints and footprints, birds, deer and snakes. Others appear to morph different animals together, or humans and animals.

There are images that appear to be masks or tribal clan symbols. And the meaning of some images is lost to time.

Although some of the petroglyphs may be much older, archaeologists believe that most were created from the 1300s into the 1600s. The Rio Grande is not far away, and a prolonged drought may have encouraged migration into the region.

Spanish colonists later added their own symbols, including Christian crosses, livestock brands and images of sheep. With a little imagination, it's not hard to visualize a bored shepherd passing the time by leaving his mark on the rocks.

It took geology a long time to create a rock surface ideal for petroglyphs, beginning with a series of volcanic eruptions about 150,000 years ago.

Rangers at the monument explain that the lava flowed through old arroyos and around hills, and then hardened. Over time, the hills and walls of the arroyos eroded, and the old lava flows became the dominant topography. And as the soil under the lava flows eroded, large basalt boulders began to break away.

Exposure to the elements darkened the surface of the boulders. That created a blank canvas of sorts for an ancient people, who discovered that pecking it away with a rock revealed the lighter-colored surface underneath. With successive generations, the number and variety of petroglyphs grew into a remarkable outdoor gallery of images that reflected their spirituality and creativity.

Others have added less welcome marks. Some of the petroglyphs are pocked by gunfire. And "taggers" occasionally have spray-painted scrawls on some of the boulders, which at least can be removed.

Despite the proximity to suburbia, Petroglyph National Monument remains a desert environment.

The trail in Rinconada Canyon, for example, passes through classic desert scrub: sage, saltbush, cacti and snakeweed, and a variety of other desert plants.

A roadrunner or jackrabbit may dart from the brush. A hint of movement behind distant sagebrush may be a furtive coyote. Hawks and vultures ride the air currents overhead. And in warmer, wetter months, millipedes are a common sight.

Rattlesnakes may rarely be seen, but they're at home amid the boulders _ another good reason to honor the park rangers' admonition to stay on the trails.

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IF YOU GO:

WHAT YOU SEE: Petroglyph National Monument features more than 20,000 images and symbols pecked into the basalt boulders of ancient lava flows. Most were created 400 to 700 years ago by "Ancestral Puebloans," ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians and other American Indians, but some of the images may be 2,000 to 3,000 years old. The monument is jointly operated by the National Park Service and the city of Albuquerque.

GETTING THERE: Petroglyph National Monument is on the west side of Albuquerque. From Interstate 40, take the Unser Boulevard exit (154) and drive north three miles to Western Trail. Turn west onto Western Trail and follow the road to the visitor center. From I-25, take the Paseo del Norte exit (232) and go west to Coors Road; exit south. Go south on Coors Road to Western Trail. Turn west onto Western Trail and follow the road to the visitor center, where maps to different areas of the monument are available.

AREAS TO VISIT:

Rinconada Canyon: More than 3,000 petroglyphs have been pecked into basalt boulders in the canyon. Visitors can view the petroglyphs from a dirt trail that goes to the head of the canyon and back. Southwest of the visitor center.

Boca Negra Canyon: The most frequently visited portion of the monument, Boca Negra features a variety of petroglyphs along three relatively short trails. Boca Negra overlooks a residential neighborhood. Northeast of the visitor center.

Piedras Marcadas Canyon: An undeveloped trail takes visitors along the base of a basalt escarpment and many petroglyphs. Development has almost surrounded this section of the monument, but it still has the feel of a remote desert. At the northern end of the monument.

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Volcanoes Day Use Area: Hikers can see extinct volcanoes close up and get great views of the Rio Grande Valley, Albuquerque and the Sandia Mountains. On the monument's western edge.

ADMISSION FEES: The fee for parking at Boca Negra Canyon, charged by the city of Albuquerque, is $1 on weekdays and $2 on weekends. National Park Service passes are honored.

HOURS: Hours are not restricted on most of the trails within the monument, although gates to the parking areas may be closed. The visitor center and Boca Negra Canyon are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The visitor center typically closes at 2 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve.

RESOURCES: Park information: 505-899-0205, ext. 331; On the Web: www.nps.gov/petr.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

_Petroglyphs are images or designs that are pecked, chiseled or carved into rock surfaces.

_Pictographs are images or designs that are painted onto rock surfaces.

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MORE ROCK-WRITING SITES TO VISIT

Petroglyph National Monument is one of several sites in the Southwest that feature large concentrations of rock art. Here are others:

_Big Bend Ranch State Park: A variety of pictographs have been discovered in the park southeast of Presidio. Included are figures of humans and animals and abstract shapes. Contact: 432-358-4444, ext. 226; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/bigbend.

_Hueco Tanks State Historic Site: Located 32 miles northeast of El Paso, Hueco Tanks' pictographs and petroglyphs include human and animal figures and more than 200 face designs or masks. Visitation is limited, and reservations are required. Call about one week in advance to take a tour of the pictographs and petroglyphs. Contact: 915-857-1135 or 1-800-792-1112, option 3; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/hueco(underscore)tanks.

_Three Rivers Petroglyph Site: More than 21,000 petroglyphs are carved into rocks across 50 acres in southern New Mexico. A small Pueblo ruin is nearby. Located about 120 miles north of El Paso near Tularosa, N.M. Contact: Bureau of Land Management's Las Cruces, N.M., office, 575-525-4300; www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/las(underscore)cruces/three(underscore)rivers.html.

_Horseshoe Canyon: Part of Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah, Horseshoe Canyon is known for the Great Gallery, a remarkable panel of life-size pictographs and other panels of rock art. Contact: Has Flat Ranger Station, 435-259-2652 or www.nps.gov/canylanyourvisit/horseshoecanyon.htm.

_Newspaper Rock Recreation Area: This large panel of petroglyphs is along State Highway 211 on the way to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, about 25 miles northwest of Monticello, Utah. Contact: BLM's Monticello office, 435-587-1500.

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(SOURCES: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service)

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© 2008, The Dallas Morning News.