Colorado Rock Art Association

Annual Symposium

May 5, 6, 7

Monte Vista, Colorado

Events
May 5-Friday's Meet, Greet and Registration:
5-9 p.m.,will be at the San Luis Valley Information Center,
947 First Ave. (on the east side of Monte Vista on the main highway from Alamosa)
May 6-Saturday's Symposium:
Coffee reception and registration starting at 8:00 on Saturday morning,
Symposium starts at 9 a.m. fee
Featured Speaker Ike Eastvoldt, speaking on Puebloan cultural beliefs about rock art.
Vali 3 Theater -139 Adams St, in downtown Monte Vista.
Satuday Night's Banquet:
Featured Speaker, Larry Loendorf, speaking on Apachean cultural beliefs about rock art.Reservations Required
Happy Hour and Dinner times TBA at the symposium
Movie Manor, 2830 W. Highway 160, (about 3 miles west on Hwy 160)
Field Trips- Meeting Locations will be mailed to registered participants.
Cerro Chiflo-Rio Grande Corridor Tour, May 5th

High clearances 4 x 4 vehicles are recommended. Bring lunches and water. Also bring warm clothes, since the weather could be cool. on Sunday. We will meet in southern Colorado. The site is in New Mexico, about 45 minutes away.

To reach the Cerro Chiflo site, a short, easy 1/4 mile walk is required. The site consists of approximately 10 panels that appear to range in age from late archaic abstract curvininlear, to possible Tewa, Apache and Ute. There are abstract figures, along with several anthropomorphs and some zoomorphs. We will spend approximately 1 1/2 hours at the site, then drive back across the Colorado State line and visit three sites just above the Rio Grande. The first site requires a short 300 meter walk to a bench above the Rio Grande. A portion of the walk requires walking through thick tumble weeds for about 30 meters, and the rest is on a bench features with several large basalt outcrops and boulders. The newly found site consists of 4 panels of possible Tewa origins, with squiggly lines, rakes, and a bear paw. After that, we will visit another newly found panel. This interesting site with about 20 panels, probably Tewa. Several elk-like figures, with anthropomorphs and other zoomorphs are located at the site. We will spend about and hour there and return to Monte Vista by 4:00 PM for the reception.

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La Garita Area Tour, Sunday May 7th

High clearance 4 x 4 wd vehicles are recommended. Bring lunches and water. Also bring warm clothes, since the weather could be cool. on Sunday.

Go to Carnero Creek to see one of the best pictograph panels in the Valley on side of cliff face. Area may be flood irrigated, so an alternative site may be necessary. Requires hiking up a somewhat steep area, but trail goes to the panel. Across from the site to the south of Carnero Creek is a pictograph panel of fluteplayers in a small rock shelter. They are the only known Kokopelli like figures in the Valley. They are done in a dark gray pigment over red
dancing figures. May be Basketmaker in age. Also visits to Penitente Canyon, Witches Canyon to see more Ute pictographs. Later, go south to La Garita Creek to see a variety of pictographs and petroglyphs ranging from late archaic to Ute. Last stop, Barrel Spring to see four panels of anthropomorphs and horned quadrapeds.

Raton Creek-Dry Creek Tour, Sunday May 7th

High clearance 4 x 4 vehicles required. Bring lunches and water. Also bring warm clothes, since the weather could be cool on Sunday.

Raton Creek site is very easy access, just a short walk across meadow. 10 panels of possible Ute origin. Drive to mesa to south and a short walk to panels below mesa, on ledge. Later, drive to Dry Creek to private property. Late archaic to Ute panels in rock shelter. We will later go to Bonafacio Gulch, time and weather permitting, then to Limekiln Gulch.

Trinchera Creek, Smith Reservoir, Sunday May 7th

High clearance vehicles are recommended. Easiest walking trip. Bring lunch, water, and good hiking boots, since some of the sites have a great deal of cactus. Also bring warm clothes, since the weather may be somewhat cool on Sunday.

First part of the tour is to Trinchera Creek site, which is only a few miles southeast of Ft. Garland, for about an hour. The site consists of 20-25 basaltic boulders that have many interesting petroglyphs of mostly vegemorphs, some anthropomorphs, and many other geometric and abstract curvilinear images. We believe the area may have once been a corn plantation site, since many of the vegemorphs appear to be corn plants. There are also numerous bedrock metates above some of the panels. The site may be at least 3,000 years old, since we found a projectile point this year that is late archaic associated with the LoDaiSka site near Denver. We also found artifacts associated with later Tewa/Puebloan and Ute cultures. Go to Smith Reservoir area to the west 9 miles for another hour. There are some interesting anthropomorphs, bear paws, sun symbols, lines, grid patterns and other abstract images that may be associated with the Trinchera Creek site located 9 miles to the east. A portion of the glyphs are in direct alignment with the Trinchera Creek site. There are also 2-3 stone structures that may be habitation structures where we found pottery and a Ute point. Another curious structure to the south has a vertically placed stone that appears to be a "solar marker" that may be associated with the Summer solstice or another astronomical phenomena.
Battle Scene SuziQ ©2005
Pre-Register!

We recommend pre-reigstering for the symposium and field trips. Field trips fill up fast! Reservations are required by April 15, 2006 for the banquet on May 6.

For more information and to receive an application, write to:

Suzi Martineau
Symposium Coordinator
susanmartineau@gmail.com

Who We Are

As a chapter of Colorado Arcaheological Society, our Colorado Rock Art Association comes out of the starting gate with a degree of credibility based upon the long history of CAS accomplishments. The prestigious CAS quarterly journal SOUTHWESTERN LORE will also be our journal, just like any other chapter of CAS, and the proposed future reviewed journal, COLORADO ARCHAEOLOGY, as well. The CAS state newsletter, THE CAS SURVEYOR, will promote our activities and events and we will have a direct track to the newsletters of all other CAS chapters to get our word out. Yes, this does cost a few more dollars but we get so much in return. 

-Study Rock Art
-Record Rock Art
-Visit Rock Art Sites

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