We arrived mid-day and were given Site #1. It’s a nice site on the end where we have great
long-distance views.
The next morning we were scheduled to take a tour here at
the park but during the night we had light rain/sleet/hail so the first tour
was cancelled. We headed into Del Rio
for lunch (Mi Tierra Linda) and made it back to the park in time for the 3:00
p.m. tour of the Fate Bell’s Pictograph Shelter/Canyon Guided Walking Tour.
We got to the visitor center a few minutes early to pay and to look at the exhibits.
We had about 25 people on our tour. Our guide was Tanya. She mentioned that she had been giving this
tour for 10 years. She seemed a little burned out.
Our first stop on the trail was The Maker of Peace
sculpture finished in 1994 by Bill Worrell.
It’s 17’ 3”.
We had about a half mile to walk to the pictographs.
The shelter was named after Mrs. Fate Bell, who owned the
land that the shelter occupies.
These pictographs are considered to be among the finest
in the world and constitute possibly the largest collection of pictographs in
North America.
The initial excavation in 1932 revealed much material
culture, including engraved shells, painted pebbles, fiber sandals, baskets . .
.
Eight burials were found. Three of these had no skeletal
remains. Presumably they had not been preserved. One was a group burial and
contained the skeletons of five individuals.
Fate Bell Shelter is best known for its pictographs,
which are among the best documented and best preserved of the Pecos River
style. This style dates between three and four thousand years ago.
The central characters of the pictographs are faceless
anthropomorphic figures, elaborately dressed and often holding a variety of
accessories such as atlatls, darts, and fending sticks.
The views were outstanding.
Looking back the way we had come:
Not much of a fine:
Interesting rocks:
The tour lasted an hour and it was a long way back up to
the visitor center:
These pictographs can only been seen with a guided tour through the park. The costs is $8 each and the tours are given twice a day, Wednesday - Sunday (weather permitting).
The fine should definitely be more! Really good pictograph remains. I've seen places where you almost had to imagine the picture as they were so faded.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of pictographs in Idaho, but none as well preserved as the ones mentioned here. Looks like it was an interesting tour.
ReplyDeleteNot only are they well preserved and visible, they are big. The rock art in these canyons stands out because the figures and overall panels are very large. Some of the figures are six feet tall, and panels can go on for hundreds of feet. Very interesting.
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