Rock Art

Petroglyphs pecked, scratched, grooved, or cut onto rock surfaces appear at Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park in two forms: cupules, which are small cup-like depressions, and cup-and-ring forms, which are concentric circles with a center depression. Archaeologists and rock art specialists do not know their exact meaning or why prehistoric Native American people created these images here. Research elsewhere in California and North America has associated petroglyphs with puberty rites, fertility, rain making, fishing and hunting, astronomy, and spiritual ritual. Under favorable lighting conditions, one or more cup-and-ring petroglyphs can be seen on this and surrounding rock faces.

California · United States