Because of the mostly dry climate in Arizona and surrounding states, drawings and carvings from the ancient inhabitants have been preserved in abundance. From the above paintings in Canyon de Chelly, to the petroglyphs in Phoenix's South Mountain Park, there are lots of interesting sites throughout the state.
In almost every description of petroglyphs, they are described as "mysterious." Archaeologists spend thousands of pages analyzing them and trying to decipher some meaning.
Most of the rock art is subtle and unless you are aware of the location, might be missed. Occasionally, there is a huge collection, such as Newspaper Rock, in the Petrified Forest National Park, but even the larger collections, such as Three Rivers Petroglyph Site in New Mexico, have many glyphs that are small and unnoticeable.The only real mystery about rock art is why the scientists think there is some kind of mystery. Graffiti has been a common human experience forever. If you spray paint a wall it is graffiti, if some ancient Indian scratched his name into a rock, it is rock art. There are a lot of good reasons to study ancient artifacts and ancient rock art. Mystery is not one of them.
The Phoenix area is a good place to visit and see an amazing array of rock art. You might try South Mountain Park, San Tan Mountain Regional Park, and Estrella Mountain Regional Park for a start.
Thanks to Flickr for the South Mountain Park photo.
As any archeologist worth their salt will tell you with flair, the petroglyphs were most certainly used for "ceremonial purposes".
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