cieneguilla

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On a cold windy 4th of December a few Site Stewards waited for the rest to gather in the parking lot of the Blue Corn Cafe. The sky was a dreary gray and it looked like a storm was about to hit. We, on the other hand, did not care. Why you ask would we be out on a day like this? The answer is easy. Terry was going to show this intrepid group his version of a World Class Rock Art site.

After an appropriate wait we set off for the Cieneguilla Rock Art Site. Part of the site overlooks Ceineguilla Pueblo. All of the site is on the southerly side of the volcanic escarpment that forms the Caja del Rio Plateau and over looks the Sante Fe River. As we started the hike in from where we parked our cars, Terry said that he could imagine what it looked like when the river was a bosque. It was easy to look back out over the valley and watershed and see the willow, cotton woods, cattails, and other raparian plants. With just a little more imagination you could see the smoke from the cooking fires of the Pueblos. From the top of the escarpment, there is a clear view into the Galisteo Basin.

The Intrepid Few: Terry, Jan, and Lee

One of the appreciations I have gained from Rock Art is the "feel" of the landscape. All the Rock Art I have seen has a sense of place. Part of its "meaning" is its location. On this cold windy day we were sheltered from the cold wind by the escarpment. We were warmed by the rays of the sun. Many of the concentrations of images were found in alcoves that seemed to trap the warmth more. Is it possible that the creation of Rock Art happened while the earlth slept and the stories were told?

A View Towards Santa Fe and the Snow Clad Sangre de Cristo Mountians

Water is the life force of the arid Southwest. The ethnography of the people tell us over and over how much of their efforts were devoted to rituals that "insured" an adequate supply. Is it an accident that snow collects in the "bowl" of this bolder with images? It was serendipity that allowed us to see this.

Boulder with Snow Filled Bowl and Images

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