Landscape of the Spirits: Hohokam Rock Art of South Mountain Park

The South Mountains in Phoenix contain more than 8,000 ancient petroglyphs. This program will discuss Dr. Bostwick’s long-term study of these Hohokam petroglyphs and will describe the various types of designs, their general distribution, and their possible meanings. Interpretations of the petroglyphs include the marking of trails, territories, and astronomical events, as well as dream or trance imagery based on O’odham (Pima) oral traditions. Most of the trails currently used by hikers contain Hohokam rock art, indicating that these trails date back

Dr. Todd Bostwick has conducted archaeological research in the Southwest for 36 years. He was the Phoenix City Archaeologist for 21 years at Pueblo Grande Museum, and is currently the Director of Archaeology at the Verde Valley Archaeology Center. He has an MA in Anthropology and a PhD in History from Arizona State University (ASU), and taught classes at both ASU and Northern Arizona University for more than seven years. He has been an Arizona Humanities Scholar on several projects, and has published numerous books and articles on Southwest archaeology and history. Dr. Bostwick has received awards from the Arizona Archaeological Society, National Park Service, City of Phoenix, and the Arizona Governor’s Office.