We hiked the 3-mile Petroglyph Trail, which is just delightful! Gorgeous views, outstanding rock structures and twisty-turny little bends revealing surprises all along the way. Bob had his camera, of course. The trail ends in a panel of petroglyphs (see later photo). - marilynandbob's Photos- powered by SmugMug

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marilynandbob > I'm standing in front of Spruce Tree House, one of the ruins at Mesa Verde National Park, on the weekend celebration of the park's Centennial. The Ancestral Puebloan People (formerly called the Anasazi) lived here 1000 years ago, finally leaving due to drought. Their descendents are the current-day Pueblo Indian clans in New Mexico and Arizona.

marilynandbob > We hiked the 3-mile Petroglyph Trail, which is just delightful! Gorgeous views, outstanding rock structures and twisty-turny little bends revealing surprises all along the way. Bob had his camera, of course. The trail ends in a panel of petroglyphs (see later photo).

marilynandbob > Yet another intimate and unexpected part of Petroglyph Trail.

marilynandbob > Along the trail, a small ruin. These walls are original, built out of native rock. At one time they had thatch and wood beam roofs. Along the way we saw many gouges worn in the rock where the cliff-dwellers would sharpen their tools and weapons.

marilynandbob > Here's the petroglyph panel at the end of the canyon hike. Pictographs are painted on rock whereas petroglyphs are carved into the rock. The Anasazi stood on the ledge below and chipped the design through the exterior desert varnish to the light sandstone beheath. According to the guide book, the petroglyps show the "sipapu" where the people entered this world (the Grand Canyon), and how the various clans migrated away, wandering around until they were brought into line by the "whipping kachinas" and ended up at Mesa Verde.

marilynandbob > To help celebrate the Centennial, some Hopi people came to the park and performed some of their traditional dances. In this photo, a young boy represents an eagle. He and the other "little eagle dancer" carefully watched the older eagle dancer so they would do the movements right. They were very good!

marilynandbob > In front is one of two dancers representing deer. The "canes" represent the deer's front legs.

marilynandbob > These Hopi girls represent the people of the clan (I think) encouraging a sucessful hunt.

marilynandbob > Two deer dancers, three eagle dancers.

We hiked the 3-mile Petroglyph Trail, which is just delightful! Gorgeous views, outstanding rock structures and twisty-turny little bends revealing surprises all along the way. Bob had his camera, of course. The trail ends in a panel of petroglyphs (see later photo).