LASR.net Homepage




Menu

Deer Valley Rock Art Center


category : Archaeology
Deer Valley Rock Art Center The Hedgpeth Hills petroglyph site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has over 1500 petroglyphs on nearly 600 boulders in a 47 acre nature preserve. The petroglyphs are believed to be several hundred to a few thousand years old. Archaeologists believe that Archaic, Hohokam, and Patayan peoples made the majority of the petroglyphs, and their meanings and the reasons they were made remain a mystery to us today.

Although some Indian peoples have known about the petroglyphs at Hedgpeth Hills for thousands of years, non-Indians have only known about this site since the 1800's, and it remains a sacred site to some Arizona tribes today.

Rock Art is a term used for designs made on rocks or on the earth's surface by people in the past. Petroglyphs are designs made by carving or scratching away the dark layer of rock varnish on a rock's surface to reveal the lighter rock underneath. Rock varnish is a thin layer of tiny clay particles which are deposited on rocks in desert environments. These clay particles are attached to rock surfaces by bacteria that lives there. Manganese in the clay gives rock varnish a dark color. In time, the color of the exposed interior becomes more like the color of the surface because of the rock varnish's regrowth.

Pictographs are designs made by painting on rocks or in caves. Colorful plants and minerals were ground up and mixed with protein based liquids such as egg, blood, or urine to make different colors of paint. The pigments were applied using sticks, brushes, fingers or hands.

Rock Art was made by people all over the world. Much of it was made by prehistoric people. American Indians made most of the rock art in North America.

The Deer Valley Rock Art Center opened to the public in December of 1994, and is associated with the Department of Anthropology at ASU. The museum offers interpretive exhibits and videos along with group tours and a gift shop.


Admission: Adults $5.00 - Seniors/Students $3.00 - Children 6-12 $2.00 - 5 & Under Free.
Hours: May - September, Tues - Fri, 8am - 2pm; Sat: 7am - 5pm; Sun: 12 noon - 5pm.
October - April, Tues - Sat: 9am to 5pm; Sun: 12-5pm
Address: 3711 W. Deer Valley Rd.
Phone: 623-582-8007
Our Email: dvrac@asu.edu
Our Website:www.asu.edu/clas/anthropology/dvrac

Come visit us in Phoenix, Arizona

Attractions and Upcoming Events

Desert Botanical Garden

The Desert Botanical Garden offers the world's largest collection of arid-land plants from deserts of the world in a unique outdoor setting. The Garden has more than 50,000

Phoenix, AZ Botanical Gardens

Arizona Science Center

The Arizona Science Center offers hands-on, eye-opening fun with more than 300

Phoenix, AZ Learning Centers

Phoenix Police Museum

The Museum features a mock up of an early 1900's police station. Also on display is a 1919 Ford Model A Police Car, old jail cell, and various artifacts from the Phoenix Police Department since the early 1900s. In October 1993

Phoenix, AZ Museums

Rosson House Historic Museum

Designed in 1894 by Phoenix architect A. P. Petit, the Rosson House is an outstanding example of a Victorian architectural style named after Charles Eastlake. Purchased by the City of Phoenix in 1974

Phoenix, AZ Museums

Arizona Doll & Toy Museum

We invite you to visit the Arizona Doll &

Phoenix, AZ Museums

Things to do Archaeology near Phoenix, AZ