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Petroglyphs near Santa Fe that are estimated to be up to 8,000 years old were vandalized last week. A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management says the agency believes the damage to the La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs occurred on January 18. The vandalism, including purple spray paint graffiti and an etched heart with an "A" inside of it, partially covers an ancient zig-zag carving. The vandals also graffitied a nearby Bureau of Land Management sign.
The incident is the second case of high-profile petroglyph graffiti in less than a month, following an incident in West Texas's Big Bend National Park, in which four names and a date—12/26/21—were scratched into 3,000 to 8,000 year-old rock carvings, irreparably damaging them.
Petroglyph vandalism isn't new, but it seems to be getting worse, likely due to the boom in outdoor recreation caused by the pandemic. Last year, two incidents of vandalism in Utah occurred just days apart, sparking national outrage.
“What we’ve been seeing in Utah across all land agencies—the Park Service, the state parks, the Bureau of Land Management—is we do have an increase in tourism. And we are seeing a commensurate increase in damage to archaeological sites,” Elizabeth Hora-Cook, an archaeologist for the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, told High Country News.
And petroglyph vandalism is not a victimless crime. From an Indigenous perspective, petroglyphs are seen as relatives, according to Angelo Baca, a Navajo (or Diné) scholar. “They’re alive. They have their own spirit and they have their own agency and should be respected."
Of course, vandalizing petroglyphs is illegal and the Bureau of Land Management attempts to investigate any incidents that occur on public land. But it's rare that anyone is held accountable. Hopi archaeologist Lyle Balenquah says the best way to prevent this type of destruction is through increased education.
“You can’t just hold one workshop, one Zoom panel session, and call it good," he said. "There’s always new people coming into these sports and being introduced to the regions in general. There has to be people out in the field speaking to people as much as possible.”
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Along with the removal of quotas from the wolf management units surrounding Yellowstone National Park, Montana also now allows baiting and the use of electronic calls. This means that hunters and trappers can lure wolves out of the Park for slaughter, highlighting the least ethical tactics in an already unethical hunt.”
