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La Proveedora is an impressive archaeological site in the Sonoran Desert. The site has evidence of long-term human occupation and is represented by varied and extensive cultural remains, including: structures; lithics; ceramics; and shell artifacts. These date from between circa 2100 BC and up to the sixteenth century. However, the most prominent features at the site consist of thousands of petroglyphs on its hillsides. Three descriptive categories of rock art analysis will be discussed and the existence of a particular style in the creation of petroglyphs will be suggested. As will be discussed below, the combination of rock art designs and techniques allows us to propose what I call the "Caborca Style." This proposal makes sense within the framework of the regional cultural history of the Sonoran Desert, in which petroglyphs are only one cultural component involved in the development of these societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huatabampo tradition was first defined by Gordon Ekholm, in 1938, and refers to those sites in the coastal plain in northern Sinaloa and southern Sonora lacking architecture but containing well-manufactured plain ceramics with complex shapes. Recent investigations in the region are helping to refine the chronology, geographical extension, cultural attributes, and ethnicity. With 20 radiocarbon dates, we can place this tradition as spanning from 200 BC to AD 1450. The maximum geographical extension ranges from the Middle Rio Yaqui in the north to the Rio San Lorenzo in Sinaloa. The associated sites of this complex are represented by dispersed houses, indicative of ranchería-type settlements, funerary mounds, shell middens, and petroglyph sites. At about AD 1150, Aztatlán pottery and other commodities from southern Sinaloa were incorporated mostly as mortuary offerings. We also provide evidence that the Huatabampo archaeological tradition is a local culture representing the occupation of the Cahitan-speaking groups, Yoremem/Mayos and Yoemem/Yaquis, of the coastal plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Vázquez de Coronado expedition site in the San Bernardino Valley, represents one of five of the first verifiable Coronado expedition sites found in the state. Paraje del Malpais (AZ FF:12:69, ASM) is adjacent to a spring and catchment pool that likely once provided reliable surface water. Earlier and later petroglyphs include water-related symbols suggesting this trail was used since time immemorial. A spatially separated boulder shows images that are consistent with sixteenth-century dress, footwear, and headgear. A related inscription seemingly reads "Tobar" -a member of the expedition who led a detachment and escorted residents of San Geronimo north to Tiguex in 1541. Clearings in the rocky terraces represent tent or sleeping circles and an iron mule shoe is diagnostic of this period. Another Coronado period artifact is present along this drainage five miles away. Both suggest this was a route taken by the Coronado expedition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Blurred Boundaries: Perspectives on Rock Art of the Greater Southwest" is a visually stunning book that showcases 170 duotone photographs of petroglyphs and pictographs from the American Southwest and Baja California. The book emphasizes the setting of the rock art, highlighting the context of time and place. The authors explore the transcendent role of rock art in the natural landscape and discuss the emotional impact of the imagery on viewers. The book also includes essays by renowned rock art scholar Polly Schaafsma, who offers insights into the possible meanings and interpretations of the artwork. Overall, "Blurred Boundaries" invites readers to experience the sensory and timeless nature of rock art. [Extracted from the article]

Indigenous American shield-making traditions are best known among the peoples of the Plains and Southwest cultural provinces, where shields were used in martial and ceremonial contexts. In these regions, shields are frequently represented in images cross-cutting a range of visual media including rock and mural paintings, and pictographs and petroglyphs, some of which exhibit considerable antiquity. Actual shields, however, are almost unknown archaeologically. This article presents new data resulting from an analysis of five coiled basketry shields recovered from archaeological sites in the northern Southwest. Digital image enhancement clarifies the nature of early shield decoration, while evidence for use in combat contributes to knowledge of shield evolution and function. Improved dating suggests the possibility that basketry shields predate the proliferation of shield imagery in the AD 1200s. These observations help reorient discussion of shield form, function, and iconography within the context of wider cultural developments during the AD 1200s and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the research and initial analysis of the rock art from the Castle Rock Community, a cluster of Ancestral Pueblo sites, dated to the thirteenth century A.D. and located in southwestern Colorado, in the heart of the Mesa Verde region. The rock art in the area is represented by anthropomorphic figures (shamans or warriors) from the Basketmaker II period, but most of the rock art is from the Pueblo III period (1150-1280/1300 A.D.) and encompasses geometric designs as well as fighting scenes. The interpretation of the meaning and function of the rock art is rather difficult, but some depictions might be interpreted as clan symbols, watermarks, or as solar/lunar markers connected with astronomical observations. On almost every panel of rock art or close to it, historic inscriptions, initials, names and dates are also present. Most of the ancient rock art is located within the site's (cliff dwellings) boundaries or very close to them, but certainly some paintings and petroglyphs are much older than the thirteenth century A.D. settlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the prehistoric petroglyphs of the southwestern United States, the search continues to correlate these symbols to geographic features, astronomical phenomena or human activity. In central Arizona, a serendipitous discovery of a panel of petroglyphs has led to a potential correlation between the abstract symbols and topographic and location information. This paper summarizes the location, design features and interpretation concerning these petroglyphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]