Petroglyph National Monument

Today, Amaya begged to go out

to somewhere interesting, so we went out

to visit Boca Negra Canyon.

I had taken Ella here in July, but Amaya

was eager to see the petroglyphs, or anything

I was willing to take her to see.

Boca Negra Canyon is a part of the Petroglyph National Monument,

which covers a larger area on the west side of Albuquerque.

Unlike the trails at Rinconda Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon

features uneven, but paved trails up the mesa hillside among the petroglyphs.

I did not go to the top of the hill.

I am out of shape and have a fear of falling down uneven

hillside trails or paths, but there were plenty of

petroglyphs where I was able to go.

One day, I would like to be able to comfortably

climb to the top of this hillside.

Amaya was happy to see what we were able to find.

This monument area is on the side of a mesa.

It has three trails that very in difficulty along the side of the mesa.

Amaya was impressed by the volcanic rocks.

To the east side of the monument

there are suburban residential homes not only in view,

but serving as neighbors.

The petroglyph below is one near the bottom of the highest

hillside trail. The photo of the front is at the beginning of this

blog entry. As I walked back down the hill, I saw the other side

of the petroglyph. Some things can only be seen if you are able

to look at it from a different perspective.

We walked the lower sections of the other two paths.

The photo below is the view of the higher mesa hill and the

neighborhood and city beyond.

It is interesting to visually explore among

the rocks to see if there are any petroglyphs.

It was fun to get out and see what we could see.

Amaya asked how these carvings got into the rocks.

According to the website information for the monument,

both Native American and Spanish settlers created

these petroglyphs from 400 to 700 years ago.

It is not always easy to understand the images

that were carved into the rocks.

But, it is a rare place to visit offering its own perspective

of history in New Mexico.

One really interesting point of view occurred after

we left. I drove past the east end of Boca Negra Canyon

on the residential road.

This is the higher hillside from the beginning of this

blog entry.

There are markers on top, and it really does not

look like a difficult mountain to climb.

One day I will enjoy the hike to the top

and enjoy the view.