PETROGLYPHS.US

Bates Well Petroglyphs

Bates Well is a small petroglyph site in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, near the border with Mexico, in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  The site appears to be on an ancient trading route or trail, and the immediate area has been inhabited for 8000 years or so; the name itself, Bates Well, refers to an old pioneer homestead nearby.  This area contains the dramatic vegetation typical of the Sonoran, including the giant Organ Pipe Cactus, the giant Saguaro, the creosote bush, palo verde trees, and ocotillo.  It is also the home of pronghorn antelope, hundreds of bird species, mountain lion, and rattlesnake.  The climate is typical Sonoran, meaning that summer days are well above 100°, and even winter days can be warm and sunny.  The area is remote and there is no lodging nearby.

The petroglyphs are on black basalt boulders along a wash.  Though they stand out dramatically in the right light, the basalt surface, along with the bright sun, makes photography challenging.  The best time to photograph them is probably in late afternoon.  The glyphs are nearly all curvilinear or geometric and not obviously representational, as can be seen in the accompanying photographs.  These photographs were taken in December 2007; at that time there was no evidence of modern vandalism, though there is a lot of weathering on some of the panels.  Several layers of etching can be seen, with later figures overlaying earlier ones.

The cultural affiliation of the rock art is speculative; although some of the images here are similar to images found at Hohokam sites located further to the northeast. Bates Well is located along a likely trade route connecting the Sea of Cortez and Sonora with points north. Influence from the Trincheras Culture, centered directly south in Mexico, is another possibility.