Petroglyphs (Rock Carvings)

Over 363 petroglyph designs are carved into the surface of a marbleized limestone outcropping alongside bedrock mortars, a combination unique in California. Except for one other small site, Chaw’se has the only known occurrence of mortars intentionally decorated with petroglyphs. The designs were created by pecking through the darker weathered rock surface to expose the contrasting lighter-colored stone beneath. Their geometric forms, including concentric circles, sun-disks, spoke wheels, wavy lines, dot elements, and tracks of humans and animals, still have uncertain meaning 2,000 to 3,000 years after they were carved. Some evidence suggests they were made ceremonially, rather than as aimless doodling, to seek results such as good luck in hunting, human fertility, weather control, health, and prosperity. Many theories surround these ancient symbols, and their significance may have been carefully hidden from the uninitiated.

California · United States