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Petroglyph National Monument

USA · Americas
Significant

Some 24,000 images pecked into a volcanic escarpment on the edge of Albuquerque.

Age
~700 yrs
Period
Ancestral Pueblo
Setting
Open-air
Art form
Petroglyphs
Discovered
1990
Status
Open to Visitors
⧗ See it on the timeline

Along a 27-kilometre basalt escarpment west of Albuquerque, roughly 24,000 petroglyphs were pecked by Ancestral Pueblo people and later Spanish settlers. Birds, masks, spirals and star beings crowd the dark rock in one of the largest protected petroglyph sites in the United States.

Notable Features

  • ~24,000 petroglyphs
  • 27 km of volcanic escarpment
  • Ancestral Pueblo masks and spirals

Depicted Subjects

AnthropomorphsBirdsGeometric Signs

Plan a Visit

AccessThis cave can be visited.
Sources & Further Reading
≡ Wikipedia➤ Directions
Hours & prices change — always confirm on the official site before travelling.
Photographs via Wikimedia Commons — image credits. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.