El Morro Inscription Rock West Face
El Morro Inscription Rock West Face North Annex · El Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇺🇸 New Mexico, El Morro, United States
About
About El Morro Inscription Rock West Face
El Morro Inscription Rock West Face in New Mexico, El Morro, United States is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.0400N -108.3500E controls access to New Mexico resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for New Mexico, El Morro, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1980 survey
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of El Morro Inscription Rock West Face main structure
c. 1920
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1980–2010
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at El Morro Inscription Rock West Face) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.0400° N · 108.3500° W · 220 m · 4 mapped features
El Morro Inscription Rock West Face — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
35.0408° N · 108.3491° WEl Morro Inscription Rock West Face — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
35.0390° N · 108.3507° WEl Morro Inscription Rock West Face — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
35.0415° N · 108.3488° WEl Morro Inscription Rock West Face — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
35.0384° N · 108.3511° W