The Painted Rock Petroglyph Site is a collection of hundreds of ancient

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

near the town of Theba,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1977. The site is operated and maintained by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

(BLM), and includes an improved

campground Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

as well as an informative walking trail showcasing the petroglyphs. Prior to 1989, the site was part of Painted Rock State Park, which included camping facilities on the nearby Painted Rock Reservoir, referred to as the "Lake Unit". When the state turned control of the park over to the BLM in 1989, the Lake Unit was closed due to concerns over

pollutants A pollutant or novel entity is a substance or energy introduced into the environment that has undesired effect, or adversely affects the usefulness of a resource. These can be both naturally forming (i.e. minerals or extracted compounds like oi ...

in the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...

and is not maintained by the BLM. Currently, there is no public access to Painted Rock Dam or the Lake Unit.

History

left, 200px, Inscriptions made by modern visitors are interspersed among the prehistoric petroglyphs. The Painted Rock Petroglyph Site is located on the eastern edge of the Painted Rock Mountains and about eighteen miles west by northwest of

Gila Bend, Arizona Gila Bend (; O'odham: Hila Wi:n), founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The town is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, which is near the community's current location. As of the 2020 ...

. The area is mostly flat and sandy with May-Oct daytime temperatures in the 100s. The annual rainfall is only about six inches and the nearest irrigational water is the Gila River. In prehistoric times the Gila flowed west out of the mountains of western

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, made a big dogleg turn at the town of Gila Bend and continued west to empty into the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. The

Hohokam Hohokam was a culture in the Indigenous peoples of the North American Southwest, North American Southwest in what is now part of south-central Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 CE, with cultural p ...

people once lived and farmed here. Ruins of their late Pioneer Period (AD 350 - AD 550) and Early Colonial Period (AD 550 - AD 700) villages are found to the north and west, and ruins of their Sedentary - Classic Period (AD 900 - AD 1400) villages are found to the south and east. Over forty petroglyph sites have been recorded in the area, however; most of these sites are small with only a few dozen petroglyphs. The Painted Rock Site is the largest known site with about 800 images. The petroglyphs are pecked onto weathered

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

boulders overlaying a

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

outcrop. The outcrop is in the form of an east to west orientated oval about 400' long, and about 20' tall with two small knob tops. Most of the petroglyphs are concentrated on the boulders along the eastern edge, but the petroglyphs face in all directions from that edge. Although considered a Hohokam rock art site, Painted Rock is on the extreme western edge of the Hohokam cultural area. East of Painted Rock, petroglyphs take on more typical Hohokam characteristics, while petroglyphs farther west take on more

Patayan Patayan refers to a group of precontact and historical Native American cultures residing in parts of modern-day Arizona, extending west to Lake Cahuilla in California, and in Baja California. This cultural grouping also included areas along t ...

characteristics. Found here and in nearby areas of the Gila River are petroglyphs of Archaic origin. Painted Rock also bears the inscriptions of historic passers-by.

Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was a Novohispanic/Mexican expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as on ...

passed near here during his 1775-1776 expedition, followed by the

Mormon Battalion The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in United States military history in federal service, recruited solely from one religious body and having a religious title as the unit designation. The volunteers served from July 1846 to Jul ...

in the 1840s, the

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service in ...

, and countless numbers of pioneers. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

George Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

used this area as headquarters for tank training.

Similar petroglyphs

Fifteen miles up the Gila River in the Gila Bend Mountains there are similar ancient petroglyphs with stick figures with long, wavy headdresses and solid circles in the middle of their bodies. These are not common in other parts of the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

. Hohokam style petroglyphs can be found on Tumamoc Hill and Martinez Hill in Tucson, AZ. This style of petroglyphs consists of an assortment of lines and geometric patterns.

Preservation Efforts

The BLM maintains Painted Rock, paving roads and parking lots, posting informational signs, and maintaining camp sites and eating areas. In the 1990s, the BLM removed a large fence that surrounded Painted Rock and exchanged the fence for signs. Prior to the removal of the fence, people climbed on the rocks, and some rocks were even stolen. The signs seem to be somewhat effective in protecting the site, as there has been less vandalism since 2000, yet vandalism remains on many rocks. If tourism increases, there are concerns that the current management practices will not be enough to continue protecting Painted Rock.Wright, Aaron M. “Assessing the Stability and Sustainability of Rock Art Sites: Insight from Southwestern Arizona.” Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. 25.3 911–952. Web. The rocks experience natural weathering, and vandalism and tourism accelerate this natural process.

Lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

are luckily not an issue for these rocks because of the hot and arid climate in Arizona.

Calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

does not affect the petroglyphs, although it has been found at the base of some rocks below the petroglyphs. It is suspected that the presence of calcium carbonate at the base of some rocks is caused by erosion from foot traffic in the site. In greater quantities, calcium carbonate would increase weathering and cause deterioration. While other sites are greatly affected by lichen and calcium carbonate, the weathering at this site is mainly a result of wind and water. Archaeology Southwest is a nonprofit organization in Tucson, AZ that works on conservation projects. This organization is working toward turning the Great Gila River Bend into a national monument. One of the reasons for wanting to turn the area into a national monument is researchers' desire to fully survey and inventory the region. Exact locations of sites and landmarks need to be mapped, and this should be completed soon because Phoenix is expanding. Continued population increase will put the petroglyphs at risk of destruction and vandalism. The cliff side of the Great Bend provides natural protection to its petroglyphs because of its stable,

ic composition. It is well-sheltered and difficult to access, which aid in preserving the petroglyphs, but it is open to the public. The site is currently classified as an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" indicating that more protection needs to be established in order for the petroglyphs to be properly maintained.

References

External links

{{authority control Archaeological sites in Arizona Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona Bureau of Land Management areas in Arizona Gila River Petroglyphs in Arizona Hohokam rock art sites Protected areas of Maricopa County, Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Maricopa County, Arizona

History

Similar petroglyphs

Preservation Efforts

See also

References

External links