Petroglyphs of the Southwest: A Puebloan Perspective by Conroy Chino
WNP Books Spotlight
From the walls of deep canyons to windswept plateaus, the Southwest is home to hundreds of thousands of petroglyphs and pictographs—ancient images carved and painted onto stone by generations of Indigenous peoples. These symbols aren’t just evidence of the past—they’re a living part of ongoing Native culture, spirituality, and identity.
In Petroglyphs of the Southwest, author and Acoma Pueblo journalist Conroy Chino offers an Indigenous perspective on these powerful images, sharing insights into their meaning, creation, and continued significance.
Descendants of those who created the carvings in stone still live in the Southwest. Their history, philosophy, religious beliefs, and culture remain deeply connected to the depictions on rock faces of deities, rainfall, masked beings, birds, reptiles, and other symbolic figures. To Chino, the petroglyphs and pictographs endure as a testament to a people whose spirituality and worldview are forever set in stone.
A pocket-sized guide to powerful places
Whether you're planning a road trip through the Four Corners region or deepening your understanding of Native cultures, this award-winning book is the perfect companion. It features 21 petroglyph and pictograph sites across Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado, including:
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park
- Petroglyph National Monument
- Arches and Capitol Reef National Parks
- Bandelier National Monument
- And many more
Each site profile explores the symbols carved into canyon walls and basalt boulders—images of masked beings, deities, birds, reptiles, rainfall, and sacred ceremonies, among others—and discusses how they relate to the philosophies and belief systems of the people who created them.