The Petroglyph National Monument, with thousands of images and symbols carved into volcanic rock by ancient peoples, is one of Albuquerque’s most unusual attractions.
The carvings are believed to be the work of the ancestors of the Pueblo peoples, going back about 3,000 years, but many are much more recent; one estimate puts about 90% after 1300 AD. Many represent religious or nature figures, but for many others, there is only speculation.
The monument was only established in 1990, and is managed by the National Park Service, even though most of the land belongs to the city of Albuquerque. That leads to occasional friction, with city development expanding right up to the edge of the monument, along with a 4-lane street through part of it.
The ancient Puebloans are not the only ones with a religious connection to the site. In 1989, when the area was still private land, a local couple built a Tibetan Buddhist stupa on land they owned. When the land was taken for the park, the stupa was left, but is inaccessible.
The monument has four major viewing areas, all accessible by road from a visitor center. Each has a series of trails, which range from short walks from a parking lot to human-mountain-goat class.
