Wijiji Pictographs•Chaco

00:00     Title
00:15     Wijiji Trail 
04:45     Wijiji Great House 
12:55     Wijiji Pictographs 
14:25     Fin 

Since the total distance of the Wijiji hiking trail round trip is three miles, going a few extra hundred yards to view the rock art is well within order. The cool weather seasons are best for hiking in Chaco Canyon and stormy days can add a dramatic effect. In fact, after a rain storm, many of the barely visible petroglyphs become easier to. The angle of the sunlight is another factor that reveals hidden rock art and the Wijiji Pictographs are a good example.

The Wijiji Pictographs cover a couple of small flat areas on the wall of the canyon and their initial appearance is quite subtle. This is especially true in bright sunlight, because many of the hand prints, astronomical petroglyphs and sketches have faded over time. The bold red color pictographs are easy to spot and they certainly have a story to tell.

It is the faded outline of the painted hands that is the most fascinating to see, because they are not obvious upon first glance. When doing the Wijiji Pictographs hike in the late afternoon, several hidden painted hands will magically start to appear on the canyon wall. Because of the reflective paint mixture, the setting sun reveals what was previously invisible to the eye. Native people are keenly aware of the effect of raw materials like mica or silica, so the painted hands that readily appear in just the right kind of light were most likely intentional. The reflective properties of ground quartz or mica certainly is a quality that an artisan seeks and this is evident at Wijiji. All it takes is a good eye and some patience early or late in the day to see the painted hands!