Cupule Cave

While out on a trip with Roger Mitchell, we stopped to visit a little boulder cave out in the Mojave Desert. The cave is only a few feet long, but in the center is a large, flat granite boulder. Its surface is covered with cupules and edges polished smooth by the touch of many hands over a long period of time. It is amazing to think of how many hands must have touched this rock to get it this smooth.

The cave borders on the territory of the Mohave, Southern Paiute, Chemehuevi and older cultures like the Anasazi. It’s not clear who made the pictographs or cupules or why. It appears to be a ceremonial site but the meaning behind the symbols here remains a mystery.