Rock Art
The figures carved on the rocks were made by direct percussion -very similar to chiseling- and they represent animals, human figures, frets, mazes, geometric shapes, heavenly bodies, and probably waves of the sea or aquatic symbols. The possible interpretations of these artistic manifestations made by the Hohokam could be any of the following: ritual scenes or ceremonies, retelling of a hunt, desert plants and animals, names of groups or tribes, calendars or dates, indicators of routes, changes in seasons or weather, or just plain art for its own sake.
The Hohokam civilization probably declined because of illnesses or prolonged droughts that greatly reduced the tribal groups. But they definitely are the ancestors of the current inhabitants of the Tohono O'odham nation (people of the desert) more commonly known as pápagos. Although it is well known that they do not like being given that name.
Read more about this topic: La Proveedora
Famous quotes containing the words rock and/or art:
“Amongst the learned the lawyers claim first place, the most self-satisfied class of people, as they roll their rock of Sisyphus and string together six hundred laws in the same breath, no matter whether relevant or not, piling up opinion on opinion and gloss on gloss to make their profession seem the most difficult of all. Anything which causes trouble has special merit in their eyes.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“We’re made so that we love
First when we see them painted, things we have passed
Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see;
And so they are better, painted—better to us,
Which is the same thing. Art was given for that;
God uses us to help each other so,”
—Robert Browning (1812–1889)