V Bar V Summer Solstice 2022
The solar calendar was accurate as ever at V Bar V Heritage Site, showcasing the oncoming monsoonal season.

 

Note: only the people who inscribed these images on these walls know exactly what they mean.

 

The wall itself is nearly perfectly straight, so when the sun hits the wall, a small boulder casts a significant shadow. A second boulder cast a second shadow, but it fell recently after a storm. These shadow lines illuminate the petroglyph's signs and solar calendar. These illustrious petroglyphs mark the calendar's solstices and equinoxes. They tell when to plant and harvest crops, in addition to monsoonal rains.

 

Forest Archaeologist Peter Pilles and Director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center Ken Zoll both gave interpretive presentations about the Beaver Creek Rock Art Style at the summer solstice event.

Rock art is one type of archaeological data that can be used to identify prehistoric cultures and time periods. Various styles of rock art have been identified, based on the kinds of elements, unique elements, relationships between elements, and manufacturing techniques. By making these observations, various rock art styles have been defined for the prehistoric Southwest. One of these styles, the Beaver Creek Style, has been identified through the studies of rock art sites in the Beaver Creek area, especially here at V Bar V Heritage Site. This research has resulted in the definition of the Beaver Creek Style, which is diagnostic of the Southern Sinagua between A.D. 1150 and 1400.

 

Photos taken 6/21/22 by Danika Thiele. Credit: US Forest Service, Coconino National Forest