Over
the period of two days we visited this small and quite new (1990) National
Monument. The monument is located within the city of Albuquerque, and is
surrounded in areas by housing developments.
I
enjoyed two sunrises from the West side of the Monument, and exploring two areas
of petroglyphs:
Boca Negra Canyon:
 |
| A Humble Sunrise |
 | |
| One must keep an eye out for... |
Morning at Vulcan Vocano:
 |
| Vulcan Peak |
 |
| Another View |
 |
| Lichen on Basalt |
 |
| Another View |
Piedras Marcadas Canyon:
This area is
surrounded by a residential area and is a nice respite from city life.
regrettably there is quite a bit of evidence that a number of petroglyphs have
been lifted from the rock surfaces. In order to see lots of the images one has
to climb up and over lots of rocks. When you explore the area you need to be
careful not to touch the rock art as that can lead to an deterioration of the
art. As you will see, the boulders can be a good size and one need to be
careful of where you put your hands and feet.
Regrettably
there has been vandalism at all of the sites in the past. Part of the problem
is the question of who has jurisdiction over enforcing any regulations: The
City of Albuquerque, the National Park Service, or the State of New Mexico.
Hopefully the area will be preserved in its entirety.
There
were an abundance of petroglyphs at each canyon and many more in other areas of
the park.
That's some elaborate rock art.
ReplyDelete