Rock Art Of The Southwest

The comprehensive book on Indian petroglyphs in the Southwest.

A key to the interpretation of rock art of the American Southwest, providing descriptions and illustrations of rock art symbols, along with their ascribed meanings, and including general and specific information on rock art sites.

At archeological sites throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, the ancient inhabitants of the American Southwest have left a rich legacy built and etched in stone - places to witness sheer ingenuity and pay tribute to the roots of Native American culture. With color photographs, maps, and detailed entries, this handsome volume spotlights the most accessible, visitor-friendly sites to explore. Also included are suggested travel routes for those wishing to tour multiple sites.

The ancient rock paintings and carvings found in abundance in the southwestern United States are astonishing in their beauty and mystery.

A booklet explains the meanings of the Indian symbols in rock art found in the Southwest.

The who, what, where, when, and how of rock-art. This richly illustrated book will guide you to 28 outstanding rock-art sites in seven states, and teach you about art styles and the cultural groups that created them. Includes a resource guide to continue your exploration.

High above the noise and traffic of metropolitan Phoenix, Native American rock art offers mute testimony that another civilization once thrived in the Arizona desert. In the city's South Mountains, prehispanic peoples pecked thousands of images into the mountains' boulders and outcroppings—images that today's hikers can encounter with every bend in the trail. Todd Bostwick, an archaeologist who has studied the Hohokam for more than twenty years, and Peter Krocek, a professional photographer with a passion for archaeology, have combed the South Mountains to locate nearly all of the ancient petroglyphs found in the canyons and ridges. Their years of learning the landscape and investigating the ancient designs have resulted in a book that explores this wealth of prehistoric rock art within its natural and cultural contexts, revealing what these carvings might mean, how they got there, and when they were made. Landscape of the Spirits is the first book to cover these ancient images and is one of the most comprehensive treatments of a rock art location ever published. It conveys the range of different rock art elements and compositions found in the South Mountains—animals, humans, and geometric shapes, as well as celestial and calendrical markings at key sites—through accurate descriptions, drawings, and photographs. Interpretations of the petroglyphs are based on Native American ethnographic accounts and consider the most recent theories concerning shamanism and archaeoastronomy. Written in a simple and accessible style, Landscape of the Spirits is an indispensable volume for anyone exploring the South Mountains, and for rock art enthusiasts everywhere who wish to broaden their understanding of the prehistoric world. It is both an authoritative overview of these ancient wonders and an unprecedented benchmark in southwestern rock art research at a single geographic location.