Legacy on Stone: Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners Region

by Sally J. Cole

In the deep and colorful sandstone canyons west of the Rockies, along river corridors of northern Colorado, and inscribed on rock outcroppings of the Colorado Plateau, the rock art of ancient and historic inhabitants of the West is an enduring record of past ideas and practices. This first integrated analysis of rock art styles throughout the western Colorado region, dating from pre-A.D. 1 to the middle of the twentieth century, bring together information from earlier studies and presents new information to shed light on how various cultures developed and interacted over time and in diverse geographical settings. Sally Cole traces connections between art on canyon walls, rock shelters, and bolders and designs on pottery, basketry, and other artificts, placing the art in cultural context. This book surveys the cultural history and rock art traditions of Archaic hunters and gatherers, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Eastern Shoshoni, and Ute peoples. regions of special interest include Mesa Verde and the Four Corners area, the Uncompahgre Plateau, Dinosaur National Monument and the canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers, and the Canyonlands of Utah and Colorado. An abundance of drawings, photographs, and maps illustrate the text and reveal the diversity of rock art forms and settings in the West.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Archaeology

280 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 1990

Reviews

[Carol Jean]

Clear descriptions and chronology, wonderful photographs. More information than I can absorb!

[Chelsea]

A really excellent in depth survey of the rock art styles in the Colorado Plateau area! Great photos and descriptions of everything.

[Raina]

Lots of good information and great illustrations. Definitely worth springing for the newer edition which has color photographs.

[James F]

This is an academic work which focuses on the Rock Art rather than other aspects of the cultures. It is divided into three parts, one on the hunter-gatherer art from the earliest period, one on the Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) art, and one on the Fremont art, with a brief epilogue on the art of the early Eastern Shoshone who followed the Anasazi and Fremont in the region. Within each part, the discussion is geographical. The detail was almost too much to deal with. The book is very well illustrated with color photographs.

[David Johnson]

Very nice guide to interpretations of some of the rock art. Not much help at all in locating the sites but if you've found your way to the site it provides a lot of insight.