Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon

Why it mattersKey Ancestral Puebloan → Rio Grande Pueblo rock-art with stratified sequence and regional typology.

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

Built

c. 1300 CE peak 1000+ panels Boca Negra

Period

Ancestral Puebloan (1000–1400 CE) and Spanish 1700s

Culture

Ancestral Puebloan → Rio Grande Pueblo

Purpose

Petroglyph volcano basalt field — 24,000 petroglyphs over 17 km escarpment with macaw and star beings

Rediscovered

Modern excavation 1917

Excavation

Partially excavated

1. c. 200 CE major extension

   Major expansion / refurbishment at Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon

2. c. 1300 CE peak 1000+ panels Boca Negra

   Initial construction / first occupation at Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon

3. 1950 excavation

   Modern rediscovery and scientific excavation of Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon

• Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — Principal Structure

  structure

  structure at Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — hydraulic feature

  35.1409° N · 106.7201° W

• Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — Complex Annex 2

  complex

  complex at Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — hydraulic feature

  35.1396° N · 106.7234° W

• Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — Southern Rock Art

  rock art

  rock art at Petroglyph National Monument — Mesa Prieta Boca Negra Canyon — subsidiary complex

  35.1372° N · 106.7206° W