A few weeks ago I got to go along with my mentor and an archeologist from our office on an all day trip out to survey one of our offices ACEC’s (Area of Critical Environmental Concern). Bordering this place in the Mule Mountains is a proposed solar development, and we set out to see if this proposed development could infringe on the ACEC or on historical sites of the indigenous people.

A place known as Alligator Rock, on the way to the Mule Mountains.

We turned off the main HWY and began down long sandy roads. Eventually we passed a slab of concrete where a lonely yellow couch sat.

The things you find out in the desert

After sometime we came to a place where we stooped to look at a few sites. We where shown Indian trails, old ceremonial sites, a dance circle, and also more recent things like fox holes dug out for WWII training

This shot up sign tells about the site

It’s unknown exactly what these formations here used for. There where many of them, all in U shapes, all facing towards the mountain, and all with a central point in the middle.

This one was not as well defined as many of the others but I wanted to include it as you can get a sense of the scale with my shadow included

WWII fox hole dug out for training exercises

Back in the truck and down the sandy road we go. I start thinking about how it could only be 100 or so years ago that the indigenous people were here. About this place with a dance circle, well beaten trails, and ceremonial sites. This must have been an amazing place to be when everyone would gather here.

Next stop:

It’s sad that signs like these even have to go up. People come out here though and vandalize the site. They carve in the rocks creating their own modern petroglyph, and they will attempt to steel artifices, often just destroying things in the process.

I had never seen petroglyphs before. This site had so many!!!

It was explained to me that the dark color on the surface of the rocks is known as desert patina and happens via a slow chemical reaction. This process takes thousands of years and because we know this, we can put a rough age on the petroglyph that we see. That is, when the glyphs are brand new the exposed rock is nearly white. In time it gets darker, and after a very, very long time (thousands and thousands of years) it can even show signs of erosion as you will see below.

Cut marks on the edge of a rock. I was told that this is something seen often at sites like these.

Next we go to visit a much older site. This place was only recently discovered and is completely undisturbed.

So this petroglyph dates back between 12,000-14,000 years old! You can tell the the desert patina has returned, and boy is it dark. Not only that, but the edges of the glyph show signs of erosion.

So many amazing things that I got to see that day. As it turns out, we will have to return to to complete our mission and see if the solar site will in fact impact the ACEC and archeology sites.  I was so grateful to be able to witness these sites and learn more of the deserts secrets and history.