Indigenous People of the Americas A
A: Indigenous People of the Americas
Rock art represents one of the oldest surviving artistic mediums across the continent, taking the form of pictographs (painted images) and petroglyphs (carved or pecked designs). Across regions such as the American Southwest, the Great Basin, and the Columbia River Plateau, sandstone cliffs and canyon walls served as expansive open-air canvases. These panels feature geometric motifs, handprints, and stylized depictions of wildlife like bighorn sheep and spirits, serving as sacred markers, territorial indicators, or records of shamanic journeys and celestial events.
Top row, left to right: 1. Plumed Serpent. 2. Bird. 3. Bird God and 4. Bird. Bottom row, left to right: 1. Unknown animal. 2. Lizard. 3. Fish and 4. Puma God.
