December 21, 2014, Socorro- I encountered two sets of people, atop Atsinna Pueblo, on El Morro.  One was a worldly, sophisticated couple, who showed mild interest in my observations, before  heading off to more intriguing things.  The others were grandparents and grandson, who had several questions about the nature of the settlement, and whether the Zuni were related to the Puebloans who lived in Atsinna, before the Spanish came.

These chance encounters set me to thinking;  What message, in picture and word, was each person who left his/her signature on Inscription Rock, trying to convey?  How has each been received by those who have seen these messages since?

Before addressing that issue further, let’s have a look at what we found yesterday, at Atsinna.

  The area that was once farmed, below, is now home to junipers and a few Ponderosa pines.

Snow and ice have given the Headland Trail a rest for several months.

I turned around and headed to Inscription Rock, for a new look at some old friends, from thirty-one years ago.  Here some of the better examples of each period’s messages to posterity.  Can you see any resemblance to Mount Rushmore, above the lichen-created heart?

The next three frames show the natural pool, created by runoff and preserved by an artificial dam, and the striation caused by mineral absorption.

  Next, are inscriptions by Puebloan peoples, Spanish explorers, and Americans headed west.

A pair of Cliff Swallows also leave their mark, in the form of nests, barely visible under the slight overhang.     How many signatures and petroglyphs can you discern?

I spent a few minutes driving around Zuni Pueblo, but with all shops closed on Sunday, and my own practice of not taking photos inside a Pueblo village, I leave you with these two views of nearby mesas, which are sacred to the Zuni.

  I continued on to dinner, in Magdalena and a restful sleep, in Socorro.  NEXT UP:  Mile 24- Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Craig National Historic Site.