Rated
Dec 27 2008
•
2 reviews
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outdoors
• desertusa.com
The Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site is one of the few locations in the Southwest set aside solely because of its rock art. It is also one of the few sites giving visitors such direct access to petroglyphs. The number and concentration of petroglyphs here make it one of the largest and most interesting petroglyph sites in the Desert Southwest.
More than 21,000 glyphs of birds, humans, animals, fish, insects and plants, as well as numerous geometric and abstract designs are scattered over 50 acres of New Mexico's northern Chihuahuan Desert. Most of the petroglyphs here decorate a long, basalt ridge rising from the upper Tularosa Basin at the base of the Sacramento Mountains.
Petroglyphs at Three Rivers were created by Jornada Mogollon people between about 900 and 1400 AD. A short interpretative trail 200 yards south of the petroglyphs leads to the remains of the Mogollon village, whose inhabitants were likely responsible for the petroglyphs. The site, which was partially excavated in 1976, was occupied for about 400 years. Foundations of three types of prehistoric buildings can be seen here.
The one-mile, round-trip trail along the ridge winds through thousands of petroglyphs created over a period of a few hundred years. Trail markers, which correspond to the trail guide provided upon admission, indicate petroglyphs of particular interest along this somewhat rugged route.
