The Three Rivers Petroglyph site is north of Alamagordo and is managed by the Federal Government. There are over 21,000 glyphs from the Jornada Mogollon people who lived in the area between 900 and 1400 A.D. They traded with other agriculturalists, the Anasazi. By the time the Spanish entered the area in the 1500s, these villages had been mysteriously abandoned.
The glyphs depict a wide variety of things: birds, plants, animals, insects, people, and geometric designs. The 21,000+ glyphs were extensively studied and catalogued during the site's excavation which ended in 1976. The 50-acre site is open to the public and provides one of few sites where the public can wander freely and view the glyphs. The trail leads the viewer about a mile along a ridge.
The first photo shows a bold geometric design; the second, the thunderbird. The third glyph depicts a sheep with arrows through it.
In the distance to the east one can see Sierra Blanca Peak, one of the highest points in New Mexico.
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