Seventeen miles north of Tularosa, New Mexico is a large petroglyph site managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Petroglyphs, or rock-art carvings, were made by prehistoric Native Americans. Three Rivers boasts a collection of more than 21,000 petroglyphs.

Three Rivers is one of the largest petroglyph sites in the Southwest that provides visitors with direct access to the rock art. A rugged, one-mile path runs through a ridge rising above the Tularosa Basin. Petroglyphs can be seen all along this path. For larger images click on the individual photos below.

These carvings date back to about 400-1450 A.D. They were created by Jornada Mogollon people who used stone tools to remove the dark patina on the exterior of the rock.

Some of the petroglyphs are carved on the rock in such a way that they have a three-dimensional appearance such as the mask below.

A second trail leads to a partially excavated prehistoric village likely occupied by the people who carved the petroglyphs. The area is an active archeological site and still contains pottery shards and other artifacts. While walking through the ruins, we spotted this pottery shard which Sue is holding so we could photograph it. As requested by BLM, we returned it to the spot where we found it.

Our next blog will be a little “spicier” than usual. Thank you for following along with us.