Rock Art, Gila Bend Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are located throughout the desert southwest. When I arrived at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site near Gila Bend, Arizona, I was expecting to find rock art, and expecting that they would tell a story which would leave me puzzled. What I didn't expect, was the conversation in stone that I found. There are hundreds of stories in written in stone here, most with stories we can't understand.

The Hohokam people once lived and farmed in this area. 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 of the park.