Petroglyphs - Rock Art
Rock art comes in two varieties, petroglyphs and pictographs. The difference between the two types is the
manner in which they were made. Petroglyphs were pecked into the surface of the rock. Pictographs were
painted on the rock. A coating of dark "desert varnish" on lighter sandstone provides the perfect medium
for petroglyphs, which are the most common of the two types of rock art found.
Geoglyphs and geoglyphic itaglios are another form of rock art found. Rocks are rearranged and stacked,
usually over large areas in the case of geoglyphs. Itaglios are usually made by removing rocks or
otherwise incising the design into the desert pavement.
First Inhabitants
Archeologists do not know for certain how long people have lived in ...Rock Art
One evidence of Native Americans inhabiting the Mojave Desert is the ...Meaning of Rock Art
Although the specific meaning of rock art may never be known, it can be ...Animal Figures
Animal figures may depict the spirit helpers of the shaman, which ...Human Figures
Human figures may portray the shaman in their supernatural realm or ...Geometric Shapes
Geometric designs are the most common petroglyphs possibly representing ...Environmental Symbols
Simple elemental symbols for rain and the sun can be found ...Petroglyph Photos
The following photo tours are presented as examples of petroglyphs in generalized regional areas. They are not intended to provide the location of, or directions to any site. Some sites are well-known and visited often, others are not. If you would like to experience a pristine site for yourself, I highly recommend the China Lake guided tours provided by the Maturango Museum in Ridgecrest, CA. With thousands of petroglyph and habitation sites throughout the Mojave Desert, this selection is in no way to be considered a complete or comprehensive list.-
Western Mojave
Black Canyon Petroglyphs
Barstow -Inscription Canyon Petroglyphs
Barstow -Buzzard Rock Petroglyphs
Barstow -Surprise Tank Petroglyphs
Lucerne Valley -Petroglyph Site #2
Lucerne Valley -East Mojave
Mojave Preserve Petroglyph Site #1
Mojave Preserve -Mojave Preserve Petroglyph Site #2
Mojave Preserve -Mojave Preserve Petroglyphs Site #3
Mojave Preserve -Cerbat Mountains Petroglyphs
Chloride, AZ -Hum-Me-Chomp Petroglyphs
Colorado River -Halloran Petroglyphs
Mojave Preserve -Nevada
Petroglyph Canyon
Valley of Fire -Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs
Lake Mead NRA -North Mojave Desert
Little Petroglyph Canyon
Ridgecrest -Steam Wells Petroglyphs
Ridgecrest -Red Mountain Petroglyphs
Ridgecrest -Coso Petroglyph Site #1
Owens Valley -Coso Petroglyph Site #2
Owens Valley -Death Valley Petroglyphs
Death Valley -Indian Villages
Tomo Kahni - West Mojave
Winter Home of Kawaiisu Indians
Please Don't Touch
Rock art is both enduring and fragile. It has lasted hundreds of years; yet many panels have been recently defaced by graffiti.
Climbing on panels can also damage the art, as can attempts to embellish the petroglyphs for photographic purposes. These practices are destructive and should not be done.
Even the oils from our hands can damage these relics from ancient times, please refrain from touching them.
