It is widely thought to beโฆ(drumroll please) a bear! The nearby (what appear to be) bear paw glyphs add weight to this interpretation. Bear paw glyphs could also indicate a bear or bears in the area, or a rival tribe known by the bear motif. It’s hard to discern what’s happening in this panel. Michael …
If you’ve ever visited ancient ruins, you may have encountered something like this. As remarkable as it is, corn and cornhusks, centuries old, just like these, can still be found today. Evidence suggest many natives were protein-starved, and corn may have been the staple in the diet of many tribes. When the Spanish came into …
The Apache Death Cave ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป: In 1878, still decades before Two Guns would become a town, Apache raiders attacked an encampment of Navajo. They killed every man, woman, and child, with the exception of 3 girls, which they took prisoner. This all took place close to the Little Colorado River. When Navajo …
You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to find information on these ruins—but I’ll tell you what I know for sure, and give you what I think with a healthy dose of speculation and educated guesses. Many ruins are slowly being unearthed in the region, while many remain completely buried under centuries of dirt, waiting …
If you’ve driven more than 30 miles down the I-40 east of Flagstaff, you’ve no doubt noticed the remains of this ghost town and wondered what you were looking at. Wonder no more! The history of the land on which this town sits has an incredible history—too much to cover in one post. We will …
This panel has several glyphs. The most interesting are the waterbird, a sun, and some type of zigzag. I’m not sure who created them but several tribes occupied the area at different times. The image known as the “waterbird” could be a crane, or a great blue heron. Interesting to note, the crane is a …
This site is believed to be over 700 years old. Like many ruins in the Red Rocks of Sedona, it is built into a large natural enclave. This built-in security would have protected its inhabitants from many hazards, even keeping them dry in terrible storms. Today, that same protection helps to preserve this site from …
One of the most common rock art motifs, found here and across the world, is the spiral. While it has long existed and spans many cultures and all continents (except Antarctica), there is much debate over the meaning of spiral imagery. Some interpret it to be a coiled snake or a whirlwind. Others say it …
These mysterious “spirits” lie at the border of the Navajo lands, not far from the ancient dwellings of the Wupatki. No one knows the true origins of these mysterious totems, or their purpose, but there are stories… One story of the area says a man froze to death. Another one says a man was murderedโstabbed …
To some people this might look like nothing, but in actuality, this is what’s known as a “Metate,” a stone tool used by native peoples going back thousands of years to prepare plant foods. Metates were meant to be used in conjunction with a Mano (grinding stone), a small rounded rock, similar to what you …