Who are Mogollon Indians – Where did Mogollon live – The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site – The difference between Anasazi and Mogollon petroglyphs – The unusual features of Jornada Mogollon petroglyphs – Jornada Mogollon symbolism – A little grey alien?
Since the ancient days, the area of the American Southwest was occupied by different native tribes. The most known group is Anasazi, or Ancestral Pueblo Indians. They left incredible legacy, from unbelievable Cliff Dwellings to mysterious petroglyphs, depicting strange creatures with antennae and ever-present spirals. However, a bit south from the famous Four Corners area, in the heart of today’s New Mexico and southern Arizona, lived another very interesting Native American culture: Mogollon.
Who Are Mogollon Indians?
The name Mogollon comes from the nearby Mogollon Mountains in New Mexico. We will never know how these people called themselves, because they didn’t have writing. There are several theories about their origins. According to one theory, they developed from prehistoric Cochise culture that occupied this area since about 9000 BCE. Another theory says they migrated from Central Mexico around 3500 BCE and have no ties with anyone local. We will never know for sure, however it’s impossible not to notice the similarities of pretty much all the ancient Native American cultures, including Mogollon, to Mesoamerica and even South America! Similar belief systems, similar legends, similar traditions… Just like all the Anasazi, around 15th century all the Mogollon people disappeared for some unknown reason, leaving everything behind. They don’t have any known descendants today.
How to Get to the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
If you are into ancient Native American petroglyphs, search no more… yes, there are plenty of different sites all over the American Southwest, but I don’t know any place where petroglyphs would be so concentrated in one small area!
The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site, the ancient home of the local tribe called Jornada Mogollon, is an area in New Mexico roughly between Albuquerque and Roswell near Lincoln National Forest. Not only will you find over 21,000 petroglyphs within walking distance here, but the strategic location of this place will allow you to plan day trips to explore other interesting places such as the White Sands National Monument, Malpais Lava Flow and even Roswell itself!
The Three Rivers Petroglyph Site boasts a quaint and beautiful campground. There are no hook-ups, but there is a bathroom nearby and an artesian well for water. There are about 5 sites with shaded picnic tables. The campground works on first come-first served basis, so try to get there during the week as weekends might be busy. The place is super quiet and full of spiritual power (I meditated a bit in the boonies and it was really nice!) You can simply walk up the hill to the petroglyphs any time you want. It feels especially magical during sunset, when the Sun colors the nearby mountains into gold and red. And then you have a chance to experience the starriest sky you’ve ever seen.
Unusual Features of the Mogollon Petroglyphs
What is interesting about this particular tribe and their petroglyphs is the fact that they are very different to what you usually see in these areas, including Chaco Culture, Mesa Verde and other spots occupied by Anasazi.
You will hardly see any spirals here. Instead, you see a lot of concentric circles with dots around them, circles with a cross inside, crosses and other interesting strange geometric designs, some of which are extremely complex!
Of course, there is a bunch of animals, et cetera, but some bird designs in particular make me very curious. They look so much like modern empire symbols, like coat of arms of Germany, for example!
Also, take a look at the faces. It is unusual for Native American tribes to depict faces with such precision.
The Symbolism of Jornada Mogollon
There is an interesting observation about Anasazi: if you study their history, their myths (especially the one of Ant People), their religious beliefs and their symbols, you can clearly see the similarities with the symbolism of the ancient Mesopotamia. As far as the rock art goes, symbolism of Mogollon points to the Sumerian civilization even more! The concentric circles as symbols of orbits and stars come all the way from that region half the world away… A cross or a circle with a cross inside are one of the main symbols of the planet Nibiru, that in the legends is believed to be home of the Sumerian gods, Anunnaki. Nibiru is a term from the Akkadian language and translates as “crossing”, so the planet has always been seen as “crossing the sky”.
Another interesting coincidence are symbols of “stairs”. If you look at the Inca Cross and depiction of “stairs” at various historic sites in Peru, for example, in Ollantaytambo, you will see that these symbols are exactly the same!
The Grey Aliens at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
This last paragraph is meant mostly as a joke, because the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site is the location where I found my “favorite alien petroglyph”. While I am pretty sure the ancient Mogollon never encountered any grey aliens, you can see a pretty recognizable figure on one of the rocks. Isn’t he just so cute?
It looks like the image of the “grey alien” is just a coincidence: if you compare him to other petroglyphs, like the one below, you’ll see the similarity and realize the “grey alien” is just a longer line here and there. But I thought it was really cool and almost every evening I went up the hill to say hello to my favorite alien!
Little did the ancient Mogollon know that another image would make me laugh. Doesn’t this one look familiar? Haha!
