Mysterious Carved Rocks

Did you know that a series of about 30 uniquely carved rocks can be found near downtown Los Alamos?

Getting there
Park near the intersection of  15th Street and Canyon Road. The trail begins on the north side of this parking area.
 
History Nugget
The carved rocks in this area appear mysterious because there are no signs or information  near them. Hikers often stumble across the rocks and wonder who carved them. Although the rock carvings may appear Puebloan, evidence suggests that they were created during the Ranch School Era.  

Canyon Road runs through the area where these rocks are located. When the road was constructed in 1946, the Los Alamos Times newspaper published an article about the rocks. According to the article, Tom Waring, a former Master from the Ranch School, said that "the models were carved from tufa just after World War I by a group of young students. The sculptures represented their ideas of ruins of pueblos and plans of pueblos, as they had observed them on field trips in the area." (Los Alamos Times, 1946)
 
Imagine
How much time do you think it took to carve these rocks?
What do they resemble or remind you of?
 
Explore/Notice
Some people have counted up to 33 carved rocks in this area (on both sides of Canyon Road). How many can you find?

Read more from
​Bences Gonzales

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