Rock Art
Anza-Borrego Desert's Forgotten Artists
The Native Americans of the Anza-Borrego Desert, the Cahuilla, Cupeño, Diegueño, and Kumeyaay, left a legacy of religion, mythology and social customs. They also left a legacy of art: an open-air gallery of rock art. These petroglyphs and pictographs are eyewitness accounts, vivid on-the-scene reports that give us some idea of what was important to the people who once inhabited this desert.
The rock drawings speak of the soul of man, of his religion and mythology and his inner feelings about the spirits and the universe. Rock art is a testimony of ceremonies, of important historical occasions, as well as of the fears and joys of life. Rock art is also symbolic communication conveying powerful images of the supernatural; it is a mirror, reflecting the complexity of human culture and the intricacies of the mind.
Photo credit: “The Forgotten Artist, Indians of Anza-Borrego and Their Rock Art” by Manfred Knaak. Published by the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association.
Rock art speaks of the forgotten artist of the Anza-Borrego Desert. Forgotten in the sense that his works of art, displayed on the surfaces of rocks have only in the last twenty-five years been rediscovered and systematically studied.
For those who hike and explore this beautiful desert, a chance find of rock art can heighten the wilderness experience. If you find a remnant of these treasures, we ask you to respect it. It may have little meaning to the viewer, but it is part of the Native American heritage, which is quickly fading away. It is truly art. Much of it was sacred. Treat it with reverence.
Here are a few spots in Anza-Borrego where you can view rock art and/or morteros.
Pictograph & Morteros Trails in Blair Valley
The Pictograph Trail is an 1.8-mile hike that takes you to one of the more accessible rock art sites in Anza-Borrego.
The Morteros Trail is a 0.4-mile easy hike that takes you to the site of a prehistoric Kumeyaay village where you can see many morteros and metates ground into the rocks were food has been prepared.
You can easily combine these two short hikes in Blair Valley to see many pictographs and morteros.
Click here for more information about these two hikes and how to get there.
Kumeyaay Village Site in Mine Wash
The Kumeyaay village site is a 1.6-mile hike or drive up Mine Wash. Here you will see many morteros scattered among the large boulders.
Click here for more information on the Kumeyaay village site in Mine Wash and how to get there.
Bow Willow
From the Bow Willow campground, there is an old trail leading up to Mount Laguna where you can see remnants of morteros.
Click here for more information on the Bow Willow campground and how to get there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rock art is generally divided in two categories: painting sites (pictographs) and carving sites (petroglyphs).
- Pictographs are paintings that were made by applying red ochre or sometimes black, white or yellow dye.
- Petroglyphs are carved into the rock.
Morteros are deep mortar holes in rock where Native Americans used stones (pestles) to grind acorns and other wild foods into flour.