V-Bar-V Petroglyphs

Take a short walk into the distant past and see messages carved in stone by the Sinagua tribe some 900 years ago

If you think Graffiti is an eyesore, just let it sit for, oh, 900 years. If it survives like the 1,032 identified petroglyphs - Native American drawings created by pecking, grinding and scratching the surface of the red rock - at the V-Bar-V Heritage Site, it may take on a deeper level of significance and fascination.

V-Bar-V - nestled on the banks of Wet Beaver Creek and surrounded by cottonwoods, Arizona sycamores and tall grasses - sits at the end of a very easy, half-mile hiking trail. Estimates date the petroglyphs to around AD 1100; they were created by the southern Sinagua tribe, which lived in the area between AD 650 and 1400. Archaeologists think the Sinagua traveled from villages at nearby Montezuma's Castle, Montezuma's Well, and Tuzigoot to create the petroglyphs, possibly as a way to denote area clans, tell tales, or as part of religious ceremonies.

The longer you study the rock wall, the more figures, animals and shapes you find. The wall has been roped off to protect the art, but it's easy to make out the shapes and take photographs. Docent Bob Carpenter stands guard, eager to discuss the area's history. Look for images of bear claws, horned toads, ravens and snakes, all believed to depict different clans. Other images seem to portray shamans, a mountain lion hunting an elk, Father Sun and blue herons. Bob says the ground around the site at one time was more than 30 feet lower than it is today and more petroglyphs have been found below ground, along with pottery shards and evidence of campfires.

The Heritage Site also includes remains of irrigation canals, fences and the chimney of a 1930 ranch house, when the property was owned by V-V Cattle Co. (It was obtained by the U.S. Forest Service in 1994.) It all makes you wonder: Will the graffiti-covered walls in south central L.A. be a national park in 2905?

DIRECTIONS: Go south on Hwy 179 and underneath the I-17 interchange. The road turns into County Road 618, which alternates between pavement and dirt (easily passable for all cars). Turn right at the three-way fork and enter V-Bar-V Heritage Site. A Red Rock pass is required to park. Passes are for sale at the visitor center. The site is open Friday through Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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