“Summer Solstice”

The early people of North America had a good understanding of nature and the changing seasons. They knew that watching the night skies and the sun’s movements, combined with sacred rituals and ceremonies, is what kept the tribe in harmony with the land. Being in harmony with the land meant knowing when to plant and when to harvest crops. Understanding the sun’s movement and its effects on the local climate was critical for the success of crops, which is why these intricately etched solstice symbols were very important to the ancient farmers.

The play of sunlight and shadow upon the rock surface, did not go unnoticed by Native Americans, and is often directly related to the placement of sacred petroglyph symbols and images.
These ancient time pieces were simple and accurate. As the sun treks across the sky it cast a shadow created by the edge of a rock. The suns path changes as the weeks and months go by, the edge of the shadow moves across the rings as time goes by, counting down each ring until it bisects the center of this carefully etched spiral. The rock face now becomes a calendar, marking the beginning or ending of a seasonal event.

The flute playing Kokopelli etched upon this ancient calendar, creates a magical place of celebration, and the moon, stars, and sun symbols bring a celestial blessing to this wonderful place. The goggle eyed rain deity known as Tlaloc is etched here also, and this brings the assurance of rain for the summer crops. The spiritual energy of this place has been held here for thousands of years by time worn hand prints, placed here long ago by a reverent shaman and sun watcher.