Petroglyphs and Sky City

AMANDA HIGGINS - FARMINGTON, NM - Today marked the first day not spent entirely in the van. We left the hotel at about 8 o'clock this morning. It was a brisk 46 degrees, but we had blue skies all the way.

Our first stop was Petroglyph National Monument, which was just a short ride from our hotel. Petroglyph National Monument is just a few miles northwest of Albuquerque. It was created 150,000 years ago by lava flows from volcanic eruptions. Thousands of years later, ancient peoples discovered that chipping away at the stones would leave a lasting mark. The result is more than 20,000 images etched in stone. They vary greatly in content and some may be as much as 2,000-3,000 years old.


At the monument trailhead in Boca Negra Canyon, we were greeted by a sign warning of the dangers of rattlesnakes. Although initially surprised that we might encounter one of the creatures, we were relieved to read that the snakes would not attack unless cornered. No problem. We didn't plan on cornering any rattlesnakes. We then began our hike in in the canyon. We were careful not to disturb anything, since preservation of such landmarks depends upon the respect of those who visit them. Instead of concentrating on what we were not allowed to do, we focused on the energy of this amazing area. "I found the petroglyphs interesting. It was fascinating to see what was significant enough to write down." "It's much more than I expected", said Dale Hamilton with wide eyes. Later, I asked Jessica Childers what she thought, "It's unlike anything I've ever seen. There's nothing I can even compare it to." Well said Jessica. Well said.


After our visit to Petryglyph National Mounument, we loaded back into our van and made the 90-minute drive to Sky City.


Sky City has been the physical and spiritual home to the Acoma people for nearly 2,000 years. It is the oldest continously inhabited community in North America. It has over 300 structures made of adobe and white sandstone. Most are family homes and in Acoma tradition, females own the homes and the land. There is also a 21,000 square foot church called Saint Esteban del Rey Mission, built after Spaniards brough Catholicism to the Acoma people. Today there are only 30 full-time residents of Sky City, but Acoma people still travel there in order to sell their crafts and pottery to tourists. They also make the treck up the mesa in order to celebrate time-honored traditions, which include a combination of Catholic and native religions.

Located within the village is the Sky City Cultural Center, which focused on the preservation of the Acoma history. Since the Acoma people do not have a written language, it is important to pass along information from one generartion to the next. The center helps ensure that future Acoma, as well as outsiders, will have an understanding and connection to the culture.


Sky City has no running water or electricity. Many Acoma still live in the same manner as their ancient ancestors. Bread and other goods are still baked in adobe ovens, water is still hand-collected from cisterns, and outhouses are still in everyone's backyard. I asked Mark Huffman what he thought of the city and the people. He said, "To me this a once in a lifetime moment to marvel at the achievements and what these people have done in their lives with no modern conviences". It occurred to me that could be the theme for our trip... once-in-a-lifetime moments to marvel.

Today's adventures gave us glimpes into American history that pre-dates the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Throughout our own educations, most of us have only read about these subjects in textbooks. Today, we got to look, touch, taste, smell, and feel lifestyles that pre-date Eurpoean arrival into the North American continent. These adventures will continue tomorrow with visits to the Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon.