November 1, 2022 Crow Canyon outside Blanco, New Mexico

 67  sunny with a bit of wind.

We went to Crow Canyon Archeological District today. Crow Canyon and the surrounding mesas and canyons of the Dinetah contain the greatest concentration of of Navajo rock art and defensive sites in the southwest United States. Dinetah is the location of many of the traditional stories and events  pertaining to the origin of the world  and the creation of the Navajo people. The canyon contains hundreds of petroglyphs.  Most are Pueblo ((AD 500-900) or Navajo (AD 1500- 1750).  Most are associated with ceremonial activities. Many of the Navajo  imagers closely resemble those found in traditional ceremonial sand paintings.  Our first stop was at the Main Panel. Here are the ruins of a couple walls with a shield above the left wall. 

Another part of the Main Panel. The parking lot for the other two panels is near an oil site. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of oil sites in this area. It is a maze of roads. 

Heading up Crow Canyon. 

You have to climb up to 44 panel  in this alcove. Corn stalk, birds, and a figure with a headdress, horns and fancy earrings.

 This panel was above us. The big figure is 4-5 feet tall. Part of the 44 panel.

 Sun, chicken riding a goat - my interpretations , and the 44 for the name and an unknown image.  John photographing petroglyphs

After we climbed down and were on our way out we saw this panel, and climbed back up. Cool root and cave in on the side of the wash.

Golden cottonwood leaves in the wash. Our last stop was the Warrior panel. We had a hard time finding it. John had a map with a dot where it is, but that does not make it easy in these huge canyons. We found a turnout on a spot where we thought it might be and when we parked I found the sign for the panel pointing to the trail, it had been knocked down. This is probably a historic Pueblo petroglyph. He is about 4 feet tall. 

Part of the route we took is part of Old Spanish Trail Original route. Some more petroglyphs. The hunting scene with the deer is so realistic it even has a bullet hole in the deer.  This figure is likely a male Navaho deity with a feathered hump, staff and mountain sheep horns. And another one with 4 arms.

Yellow asters, pencil cholla, crescent grass, purple aster, rabbit bush and an interesting rock formation at the head of the canyon. Sunset tonight from the fairgrounds with the  moon.