rock art of the southwest
Rock art in the Sedona area
Just as this area continues to inspire artists today, the same has also been true of people throughout history in the region. Some of the rock art images here date back possibly to the earliest inhabitants of the Archaic period over 6,000 years ago.
Rock art generally falls into two categories, pictographs and petroglyphs. Pictographs are images painted on rock, and petroglyphs are carved into rock with stone.
Among the pictographs, abstract symbols and human figures painted in red are perhaps the oldest rock art found here, created in a time frame from 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. Deep scratches and fine lines in the walls at these sites predate even the oldest painted images, as the lines occur underneath painted images from even the Archaic period. Images painted in yellow are regarded as works of the Sinagua people, who first entered the area about 650 A.D. and whose population grew here, until dramatic climate fluctuatons in the 1300s caused disruptions and many areas were abandoned. Charcoal drawings are believed to be later works of Yavapi and Apache, with some images easily dated to more recent times due to the depiction of horses, which were introduced to the region by the Spanish in 1583.
The petroglyphs were most likely created with a pointed stone chisel, and a stone hammer, and are considered to be the work of the Sinagua people.
The rock art images offer a wide variety of depictions of animal and human forms, as well as abstract shapes, including snakes, turtles, coyotes, deer, antelope, birds, lizards, centipedes, horses, stick figured humans, shamanistic figures, women, geometric lines, forms, grids, spirals, circles, and more. One image unique among the petroglyphs is an image of what appears to be a palm tree, which has been found nowhere else among rock art images in the region.
What the symbols mean and how they are to be interpreted is a matter of ongoing speculation and research. While there is perhaps much we will never know about why the images were created, and how they were to be understood, there are some generally accepted functions which include: images to promote fertility, bring forth rain, hunting magic, clan symbols, historical events, and religious ceremonies.
Suggestions of shamanism among the petroglyph images, which indicate its practice in the Sinagua culture, include elements emerging from cracks in the rock, humans with large hands or feet, humans or animals diving downward, and torsos emerging from the rock.
These rock art images have survived many hundreds or thousands of years due to the carefully chosen areas in which they were created, often protected from the elements by large overhangs of red rock above, and the durable pigments or precise chiseling work used in their creation. Should you decide to visit any of these sites, the rock art should be regarded with the same respect and sanctity as any work of art in a fine art museum, so that they will continue to remain pristine and undamaged for future generations.
Rock art generally falls into two categories, pictographs and petroglyphs. Pictographs are images painted on rock, and petroglyphs are carved into rock with stone.
Among the pictographs, abstract symbols and human figures painted in red are perhaps the oldest rock art found here, created in a time frame from 3,000 to 6,000 years ago. Deep scratches and fine lines in the walls at these sites predate even the oldest painted images, as the lines occur underneath painted images from even the Archaic period. Images painted in yellow are regarded as works of the Sinagua people, who first entered the area about 650 A.D. and whose population grew here, until dramatic climate fluctuatons in the 1300s caused disruptions and many areas were abandoned. Charcoal drawings are believed to be later works of Yavapi and Apache, with some images easily dated to more recent times due to the depiction of horses, which were introduced to the region by the Spanish in 1583.
The petroglyphs were most likely created with a pointed stone chisel, and a stone hammer, and are considered to be the work of the Sinagua people.
The rock art images offer a wide variety of depictions of animal and human forms, as well as abstract shapes, including snakes, turtles, coyotes, deer, antelope, birds, lizards, centipedes, horses, stick figured humans, shamanistic figures, women, geometric lines, forms, grids, spirals, circles, and more. One image unique among the petroglyphs is an image of what appears to be a palm tree, which has been found nowhere else among rock art images in the region.
What the symbols mean and how they are to be interpreted is a matter of ongoing speculation and research. While there is perhaps much we will never know about why the images were created, and how they were to be understood, there are some generally accepted functions which include: images to promote fertility, bring forth rain, hunting magic, clan symbols, historical events, and religious ceremonies.
Suggestions of shamanism among the petroglyph images, which indicate its practice in the Sinagua culture, include elements emerging from cracks in the rock, humans with large hands or feet, humans or animals diving downward, and torsos emerging from the rock.
These rock art images have survived many hundreds or thousands of years due to the carefully chosen areas in which they were created, often protected from the elements by large overhangs of red rock above, and the durable pigments or precise chiseling work used in their creation. Should you decide to visit any of these sites, the rock art should be regarded with the same respect and sanctity as any work of art in a fine art museum, so that they will continue to remain pristine and undamaged for future generations.
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