West Slaughter Canyon

Mention Carlsbad Caverns National Park and most people will think of caves. Make no mistake, if you want caves, they got'em, but the park also contains a lot of wilderness for hikers and backpackers. West Slaughter Canyon in the Guadalupe Mts., for example, is out in the middle of nowhere, and deep in the canyon are some unique pictograph sites. Much of the artwork is thought to have been made by forerunners of the Mogollon people -- archaic hunter-gatherers who lived thousands (not hundreds) of years ago. The photos below were taken at a site called the Upper Painted Grotto (there is also a similar site called the Lower Painted Grotto, which is much easier to reach). Most of the artwork is red, with a few yellow images here and there (I took b/w photos for the book).