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Nampaweap Petroglyphs

Tucked away in the juniper-dotted canyons of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in northwestern Arizona next to Mount Trumbull lies one of the region's most extensive collections of rock art - the Nampaweap Petroglyphs. Meaning "foot canyon" in the Paiute language, the name probably refers to the canyon as a natural passageway of travel for the Paiute. Nampaweap contains thousands of petroglyphs etched into the boulders along a half-mile canyon stretch.

The dark basalt canyon walls are adorned with petroglyphs featuring a variety of subjects, such as anthropomorphic figures, animals, plants, and geometric designs. These carvings are estimated to be between 10,000 and 1,500 years old and are believed to have originated from the Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi), Paiute, and Archaic cultures. If you happen to be in the area, visiting them would definitely be worth your time.


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