The petroglyphs of Three Rivers are a mystery even now. Over 600 years ago, a band of prehistoric Indians created over 20,000 stone drawings here, but there are no modern descendents of the Jornada Mogollon tribe who can translate their meanings. We can only look and wonder. (The name is pronounced hor-NAH-da muggy-OWN).
Circles of several designs are a repeated favorite. Maybe it’s the sun, maybe it’s a religious sign. More than 10% of the petroglyphs at Three Rivers are circles of various designs. I liked this one the best of those I saw.
What looks like a face is probably a mask used in religious ceremonies or to represent supernatural beings. This one uses the curve of the rock to look almost 3-D.
Animals are another popular item, like these two of bighorn sheep. The bottom one might be celebrating a hunt or making a sacrifice to the gods.
Some are indecipherable, but their mystery only adds to the beauty.
Is this a bird, or a person, or a god? You get to imagine what you want since there’s no one right answer.
Many rocks contain several images, as if someone was telling a story with them. What stories, what dreams, we can’t tell.
Look at this image and see how many petroglyphs you can find. It gives you a sample of the adventure of exploring this area!
For more information on the Three Rivers petroglyphs, you can check out this website.
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