Tag Archives: Chimney Rock National Monument

Shadows of New Mexico and Colorado

Santa Fe Shadows

Mornings in Santa Fe are always cool and shady.

Pedestrian Bridge

A shadowy pedestrian bridge at Bandelier National Monument about an hour or so from Santa Fe.

Chimney Rock National Monument - Visitor Center

Shadows are welcome at the sunny Chimney Rock National Monument near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. The woman on the left is my wife.

Metate and Mano Set at Chimney Rock National Monument

A mano and a metate on display at Chimney Rock National Monument. The metate is the big rock and mano is the small one. These are used by the Ancestral Puebloan People to grind maize, nuts, and seeds into flour. This takes grinding labor into a whole new realm. Can you imagine the work that would be needed to make a meal? As a side note, these stones are found all over the southwest. My brother found one while we were hiking out in the desert of central Utah. I don’t know what happened to it. We moved a lot and these things are heavy. It probably got left near one of the houses we lived in. It’s not like you could throw it away and I don’t think most of them are worth much. Nowadays if I saw one on a hike I’d take a photo and leave it be.

I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday