Deer Dancer (07_015_122_059AR2)

3D Model

Nestled in the swale of an arroyo, this stunning figure immediately invokes a tradition practiced in Tewa culture to this day. Wearing antlers and holding a stick in each hand, this figure is performing the Deer Dance, in which dancers embody cervids to music. There are more petroglyphs all around, but they may be hard to spot. One of the challenges of photogrammetry is controlling lighting, and out in the rugged backcountry it’s not always feasible. Here, shadows cast by arroyo-watered junipers play with light and shadow on top of the lichen patterns on the rock surfaces, giving context to the setting. The arroyo is also believed to have once been used as a trail for ceremonies, although these days you can watch this and other dances in the plazas of Pueblos throughout New Mexico and Arizona. If you go, please be respectful - remember you are a guest attending an important cultural event.