Emblematic Animal Flute Player (001 09Z02 ABC)

3D Model

This most emblematic panel is the inspiration for the Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project’s logo. The unique and distinctive animal flute player is accompanied by three iterations of macaw (parrot) designs on the surrounding boulders. The shape of the animal closely traces the arrangement of stars in the constellation Ursa Major, hinting that this might depict the Tewa version of that constellation, thought to be a dog. The shadow from the rock above will align perfectly with the animal’s tail and back twice a year on the equinoxes, suggesting that this petroglyph panel was in part used to track the passage of time.