Petroglyphs were made by pecking directly on the rock surface using a stone chisel and a hammerstone. The outer aged patina of the rocks was removed to expose the lighter colored rock below. There were perhaps many reasons for creating the Petroglyphs, and their exact meaning is not well understood by anthropologists and archeologists. They are thought to be cultural symbols that reflect the complex societies and religions of the indigenous peoples who created them. Frequently petroglyphs were developed at sites sacred to the tribes’ spirituality.

After some research, we had put the Signal Hill Trail at Saguaro National Park West on our itinerary, as it featured petroglyphs. Unfortunately, when we went to the Red Rock Visitor Center at the Western District of Saguaro, we were told that the road to the Signal Hill Trail was closed and we would not have the opportunity to see them.

We made the best of the situation and had other good hikes at Saguaro, but still were disappointed – especially for our daughter Ellen who had accompanied us on this trip and has great interest in indigenous peoples’ history and culture. As our trip was approaching its midpoint I did an internet search – basically Googled “petroglyphs near me”, and several other opportunities were suggested. I honed in on some that were on private property at the Redemptorist Renewal Center, a faith based organization located on the west side of Tucson. Their website emphasized that the rock art was open to the public and we decided that it sounded promising.

Ellen did some further research and found that in fact, there was public parking off a county road, with a short trail that was to lead us to the base of the rock outcropping featuring the etchings. The trail was beautiful and wove through a mix of Saguaro, other cacti, and plants typical of the Sonoran Desert landscape.

The irony was that more wildlife presented itself on this short trail than we had experienced in two days of adventure in Saguaro National Park. The birds were loud and proud.

Gila Woodpecker – one of two bird species that excavate nesting cavities in the Saguaro Cacti. They develop a new cavity each breeding season and other species of wildlife then utilize the vacated ones.

Cactus Wren – it is the largest of the wrens in the U.S. and is described as “bold”. Uncharacteristically for wrens, they perch atop shrubs and cacti to vocalize their presence.

They nest almost exclusively in Cholla Cacti as we had noted in the photo below, that was captured on a previous hike.

Phainopepla – this is a male. In flight, white wing patches would show. The female has a similar crest on her head but her coloration is gray with black wing tips. They eat the berries of the ever abundant mistletoe and catch insects in flight.

House Finch – this is a species that we see frequently in the Ohio River Valley where it is a non-native. Its native range is Mexico and the Southwestern U.S. – we were on its home turf. In the 1940’s House Finches were shipped to New York as a novelty pet under the name “Hollywood Finch”. To avoid threatened prosecution under the Migratory Bird Act of 1918, sellers and owners released them into the wild, and over the ensuing years the offspring have populated most of the eastern U.S.

Pyrrhuloxia – this is a male as noted by the red face mask and the red on the chest and abdomen. They are primarily seed eaters and have a short, stout, curved beak for that purpose. They resemble a female Northern Cardinal and are members of the same genus, but their ranges only overlap in New Mexico.

After a short hike, perhaps a few hundred yards in length, the trail delivered us to a broad wash – a graveled dry stream bed that briefly fills with water during heavy storms.

We found ourselves at the western face of the bluff and noted several petroglyphs. We then headed south, utilizing the wash, which was an excellent viewing point for the etchings.

The petroglyphs have a variety of designs including human-like figures, animals, and geometric shapes like spirals. While dating etchings is difficult, these are thought to have been carved by the Hohokum people, when their culture thrived in the area from 1100 AD to 1400 AD. As you study the images one speculates on what they might represent, but as mentioned earlier, even the experts are left guessing – so I will leave the interpretation of the figures to you.

One form that we saw several times is the deer-like shape below. Given the prominence of its antlers I wonder if it represents the Merriam’s Elk, a now extinct animal that once inhabited the arid lands of the desert southwest, but was hunted to extinction around 1906.

Since we have returned home I have read about a spiral etching on the west face that may have been placed for astrological or calendar purposes. During the summer solstice and the fall equinox, sunlight interacts with the etching to form a “light dagger” through the center of the spiral. Perhaps it is the one pictured below.

Eventually we climbed a concrete walkway up onto the campus of the Redemptorist Renewal Center. The sidewalk was well maintained and the only instruction was to not climb on the rocks. The path circled the east face of the stone grouping and there were no petroglyphs here. The face was adorned with several icons of the host’s religion, which were artistically and tastefully done.

We followed the path around the base of the rock mound till we got to the southern face which also had a couple of etchings.

With our investigation completed, we retraced our steps to head back to the parking lot. Again the birds were on display, as were a assortment of flowering plants:

Arizona Jewel Flower – It is one of the earliest blooming annuals and thrives during southern Arizona’s cool, wet season of late winter and early spring. Its color is generally off-white but can lean toward yellow at the eastern aspect of its range. It is an important nectar and host plant for several species of butterflies.

Wild Heliotrope – the flowers open along an arc shaped flower head with the older flowers turning a deeper purple as they age.

Blue Dicks – they arise from a bulb-like corm which are high in carbohydrate and were consumed by indigenous peoples, as well as wildlife, including bears, throughout the Southwest.

Brittlebush – these buds will open into at bight yellow daisy-like flower.

Harris Antelope Squirrel – Uncharacteristic for many animals of the desert, these are quite active during the day, darting around collecting seeds and fruits. When their temperature elevates they dart back into their burrow for relief.

Our last photo is somewhat rare as well, showing the photographer in pursuit of a photo of a Gila Woodpecker atop a Saguaro.

After the outing, I started to unwind as we drove our next destination, the San Xavier del Bac Mission, and thought about what we had just experienced. We had accessed private property to study the historic etchings of some Native Americans, which caused us to ponder on their lives – it is a very generous offering on part of the Redemptorist Renewal Center to allow us visitors to do so. I thought of the mixed spirituality of the site – of both the indigenous peoples and the hosts – and that brought me peace. Perhaps this photo captures that sense of spirituality as sunlight tries to breakthrough the cloud cover between these two Saguaros. As a family we have always referred to those sun rays as “God talking”.

Footpathsblog.com posts are released every Sunday morning and some bonus content is added periodically. Please click on a social media icon above to follow for future posts and to make sure that you catch all our reflections on, and adventures with, the great outdoors.

Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns and Ellen Burns.

Overview:

Location – 7301 W Picture Rocks Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743., approximately 13 miles from downtown Tucson. This is the address for the parking on the county road.

Parking – gravel lot for 6 cars.

Facilities – none

Trail Conditions – bare. dirt and native rock/gravel to the base of the rock. Concrete walkway on the north, east, and south sides.

Print Trail Map Link – none (and not needed)

Benches – off the wash, opposite the west face of the stone, a trail leads to a religious meditation area that has several benches. A representative of the Redemptorist Renewal Center, which is a Catholic Retreat facility, offered that this is “the Stations of the Cross…..The objective of the stations is to help the Christian faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ.”

Picnic Tables – none noted.

Kids – four and over should do well but please note the presence of rattlesnakes.

Dogs – prohibited due to the presence of rattlesnakes.

Paired Hiking Trails – none

Links:

https://www.discovermarana.org/directory/picture-rocks-petroglyphs/

https://desertrenewal.org/