Perhaps she’s carrying a
sheaf or basket of corn and using a walking stick for balance. It’s
difficult to know; Sinaguan art can be either impressionistic or fairly
literal. But we may be able to take this image at face value, as the
Sinaguas were excellent weavers and successful farmers. They occupied the
area of central Arizona between Flagstaff
and Sedona from 700 - 1400AD, when a drought may have forced them to leave
their pit house villages and cliff-side dwellings. Thus the name Sinagua, or
sin agua, Spanish for “without water”. However, they are still among us,
having blended with the Hopi, Mogollon and Pueblo peoples. This petroglyph
is located within the Coconino National Forest.
