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The Hidden Treasure of Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
In the heart of New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin lies a treasure trove of ancient art called the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site. Here, you’ll find over 21,000 rock carvings spread across 50 acres of desert land.
The Jornada Mogollon people created these carvings between 900 and 1400 CE, leaving behind countless pictures of people, animals, and patterns. Today, you can walk a half-mile trail to see these amazing artworks while taking in beautiful views of the Sacramento Mountains.
Spirit Masks
Among the many carvings at Three Rivers, there are 534 special face designs called mask petroglyphs. Some are small, just 2 inches across, while others tower up to 3 feet tall. These masks tell stories about spirits and show which families or clans the artists belonged to.
At one special spot called Panel 72, you can see masks grouped together, showing what might be an ancient ceremony where people gathered around a leader wearing a crown of twelve feathers.
Sun Watching Calendar
High up on the rocks, at 4,805 feet, there’s a clever circular calendar that still works today. This 18-inch round carving has seven special notches that line up perfectly with the sunrise during summer and winter.
Scientists from the University of New Mexico have checked this calendar with modern tools and found it’s amazingly accurate. When the sun rises during these special days, it creates shadows that fall exactly where the ancient artists planned them to land.
Natural Rock Paint
Look closely at the dark coating on the rocks, especially on the east side of the ridge. This natural dark layer, which took thousands of years to form, helped preserve the art.
When the ancient artists carved through this dark surface, they revealed lighter rock underneath, making their pictures stand out clearly. Scientists can tell how old the carvings are by studying this dark coating, which grows just 1 millimeter every 1,000 years.
Great Thunder Bird
The biggest and most impressive carving at Three Rivers is a huge thunderbird with wings stretching over 8 feet wide. The ancient artist spent about two weeks carefully pecking the rock to create this masterpiece.
This mighty bird has 47 detailed feathers, a split tail, and lightning bolts around its head. Standing at the highest point of the ridge, it seems to watch over the whole area, visible from the village below.
Hidden Colors
Using special scientific tools, researchers found that many carvings were once painted red, yellow, and white. The red paint came from nearby rocks rich in iron, while yellow paint came from special stones 12 miles away.
The white paint was even more special – it came from clay traded from 80 miles away. The artists mixed these colors with yucca plant juice and animal fat to make paint that lasted for hundreds of years.
Ancient Village
Below the rock art, archaeologists found remains of a village where about 150 people lived. They discovered 28 houses dug into the ground and 12 storage rooms around a central gathering place 40 feet across.
Things found in the village, like corn cobs and broken pottery, show that people lived here from 987 to 1375 CE. The village had a big fire pit lined with smooth river rocks where people would gather.
Game Boards
The ancient people carved game boards into flat rocks near their village. The biggest one is 2 feet across with 49 little holes arranged in rows.
These games were similar to ones that Native American people still play today. Near the game boards, archaeologists found playing pieces made from shaped pottery bits and painted stones.
Earthquake Story
A big earthquake shook this area in 1147 CE, but most of the rock art survived. While the quake left a crack through one panel of art, only 142 out of all the thousands of carvings were damaged.
The earthquake was very strong – about 7.0 on the Richter scale – and its center was 15 miles away. The fact that so many carvings survived shows how well they were made, cut almost half an inch deep into the rock.
Star Watching Marks
There are 16 spiral carvings that work with sunlight to mark special days throughout the year. One amazing spiral, 12 inches across, gets split by sunlight exactly at sunrise during spring and fall.
The ancient artists also made eight other carvings that line up with different moon phases. This shows they really understood how the sun, moon, and stars moved across the sky.
Ancient Handprints
The site has 23 handprints carved in stone, from small child-sized ones 4 inches across to adult prints over 8 inches wide. Scientists can tell that at least seven different people left their marks here.
One artist with a shorter index finger made three of the most detailed mask carvings. By studying how deep the carvings are and how they were made, researchers can match different artworks to the same artist.
Living History
Today, people from six Pueblo tribes and the Mescalero Apache Nation still visit Three Rivers for ceremonies, especially when the seasons change. Tribal elders help explain the meanings of different symbols, like a zigzag pattern that represents lightning in their stories.
The site is now protected by both the government and tribal leaders working together. Young tribal members visit every year to learn about their heritage, while scientists work to protect these precious artworks for the future.
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