Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Phoenix
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ADDRESS
3711 W. Deer Valley Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85308
CONTACT
+1 (623) 582 8007
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ACTIVITIES
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Historic Interest
 
 
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CITIES & CULTURE
 
 
 

Hohokam Petroglyphs

 

Photo by Deer Valley Rock Art Center

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A trip to the Deer Valley Rock Art Center is all about petroglyphs. This oft-overlooked Phoenix attraction boasts the largest concentration of prehistoric rock art in the Valley of the Sun. In fact, there are 1,571 known Native American petroglyphs, some dating back 5000 years, at the center's Hedgpeth Hills Archeology Site! Stroll the ¼ mile Petroglyph Trail. Tour the small museum. See the Native American garden. Participate in a family-friendly program. View rock art pecked in volcanic boulders. Note life-like human figures and bird and animal glyphs. Bring a set of binoculars and scan distant rocks for geometric shapes and abstract designs. Learn about the three prehistoric peoples - Hohokam, Patayan and Archaic - that left their marks on the hills. Get the rock art lingo. Find out how petroglyphs are made and what they mean. The petroglyphs at Deer Valley Rock Art Center are nothing short of awesome.
Rock Art
Petroglygh

Petroglygh

Alfredo De Simone

 
Rock art is the term archaeologists use to describe man-made carvings (petroglyphs) and paintings (pictographs) on rocks and stone. While rock art is often associated with prehistoric peoples not all petroglyphs and pictographs were made by early man. Some of the rock art found in the United States is only a few hundred years old and it was made by the ancestors of Native American tribes. But that isn't the only fact about rock art that is fun. Archaeologists believe that rock art designs held a special meaning for the people that made them. Some petroglyphs and pictographs appear to tell a story or mark a trail. Others were likely made for religious ceremonies or to record events. Rock art was the only way for early peoples to express themselves. They didn't have the written word.
 
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