Editorial Review of
Ancient Kumeyaay Pictographs and Petroglyphs
One hundred miles northeast of San Diego, is the largest state park in California and offers outstanding examples of Kumeyaay art. Rare, colorful and often expressive forms of pictographs and Petroglyphs are etched into the surface of large boulders and rock faces. Petroglyphs are more common in the northern part of the park.
Pictographs can be found in Coyote Canyon in the northern part of the park and in Smuggler Canyon in the Little Blair Valley area, located on an easy half-mile trail. In Mine Canyon, in the central part of park, there are more signs of human habitation, as well as pictographs and two yoni rocks. The Blair Valley area offers well-preserved examples of pictographs. The panel of rock paintings, geometric shapes in red and yellow, are clearly marked by interpretative signs. Today only about 15% of the park?s ancient artwork is believed to have been discovered and the meanings of the paintings are still unknown. These little known artifacts are a gem to San Diego?s culture.