Culture, Balloons and Petroglyphs
Since the weather has been a little more cooperative, we’ve stepped up our pace. We’ve been out and about checking out some of the things I mentioned in my previous post. Here’s what we’ve been up to.
On Sunday, we headed over to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC). When I realized they had some ceremonial dances going on at noon, I wanted to make sure we were able to take advantage. Especially since they only offer them on Saturday and Sunday.
The pottery dance with their great grandmothers pottery!
The 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, opened the IPCC in August 1976. They wanted to educate the public about the history and accomplishments of the Pueblo people from pre-Columbian to current time.
I enjoyed it but I think the kids were a bit bored. We headed out at noon to watch the native dance ceremony. These tribal dances are religious ceremonies and not simply public performances. We are able to witness the following ceremonies: White Buffalo, Pottery Dance (only 20 woman still perform it in the world), Deer Dance and Soaring Eagle.
The 19 Pueblos of New Mexico are world-renowned traditional native dancers. They’ve traveled all over performing their ceremonial dances for crowds. This includes the Kennedy Center, England, and many other places.
We were able to witness the winter dance ceremonies. The Pueblo people celebrate the seasons through dance, prayer and songs. It is considered a privilege to witness a ceremony.
Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum
If you haven’t been reading the blog from the beginning, you might not know this. I’ve loved hot air balloons since I was a young child. I was born in the Adirondack Mountains and I would frequently see balloons flying in the sky. It was love at first sight.
The crew actually had tickets to attend the Albuquerque Balloon Festival this year. However, I had to cancel plans because of timing and family issues. I was pretty darn sad. I keep telling myself there will be another time.
So, I had to go to the Balloon Museum while we were here. Perhaps some of the spirit leftover from the recent balloon festival would soak into my bones. The museum was pretty darn cool and just made me want to go next year.
In fact, they handed me an Albuquerque International Balloon Festival schedule for 2016 along with a bumper sticker. The theme for 2016 is Desert Kaleidoscope. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed that it will happen next year.
For those of you who don’t know much about the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, it’s the only one of its kind in the entire world. You actually can stand on the field as balloons ascend above you. It’s one of the most photographed events in the world. This official website provides more detailed information.
At the museum, the kids wanted to go home at first. In fact, the minute we stepped in the door. But I wasn’t having ANY of that! They were handed a seek and find and within ten minutes, their frowns turned upside down. They had a lot of neat things for them to do.
weaving a gondola
There was a kids corner with several hands on activities. They could try their hand at weaving a gondola (the basket portion of the balloon). There was a real hot air balloon that they could stand in and try to pilot.
Trying to land their balloon on the target
It was similar to a video game. There were several screens that showed a field. You had to pull the cord to help the balloon ascend. Then you had to land it on the target on the screen. In order to descend, you had to pull on the vent cord.
There was also a section where you could put together the ‘envelope’ which is the balloon portion of a hot air balloon. They had several pieces that you could velcro together. After you assembled your envelope, you pushed a button to fill it with air.
The final activity was a piece of paper you cut and folded to make a propeller type shape. You could then hold it above blowing air and it would twirl around for a while. They also offered small paper cups to cut and fly.
watching her paper propellers
All in all, it was a great afternoon and the admission cost was super cheap, six bucks total! The kids really got into the activities and left with a smile on their face. Score one for mom.
The Petroglyph National Monument was super cool. We went to Boca Negra Canyon and climbed the cliff. We were able to see a lot of rocks carved with petroglyphs. It was a really steep cliff but the kids climbed it with ease. I took my time :-).
One of the main questions that was rolling around in the back of my mind was why don’t they label what some of the petroglyphs mean? It seems they’re not simply trying to keep us in the dark. there’s a logical explanation for that.
When we look at the petroglyphs, we may think it was simply child’s play. But in actuality, it took a LONG time to create these images with stone tools. As a result, each carving was carefully planned out and holds its own special meaning.
While some of the native people may be able to interpret some of the many images no one can say for sure exactly what they mean. And even if they could be interpreted, based on culture, it isn’t always appropriate to reveal the meanings of the images. They are sacred to the carvers.
A big petroglyph, hee hee!
As I was walking amongst all these amazing relics of history, I couldn’t help wonder why they aren’t being protected. I understand that it’s not easy to move a ton of boulders but it just seems that something could be done for some of the more intricate carvings. You can see in some of the pictures the carvings are chipping away.
a boulder that was used as a grinding stone
Some of them have eroded and the full image is no longer visible. The boulders are actually dark brown in color and were created over 200,000 years ago by six volcanic eruptions. At this monument, there are over 25,000 petroglyphs! I would love to come back and hike some more trails.
Looking at the Sandia Mountains
Another thing that I found kind of bizarre is they just put in a new housing developement really close to the petroglyphs. With residents within walking distance, I can see some teenagers having fun carving fake petroglyphs on a Friday night. I’ve never seen houses so close to a protected national monument.
Hello down there kids! I was pretty high up
There was more that we wanted to see and do but one only has so much time. Our time in Albuquerque has drawn to an end. Tomorrow we’re pulling out of here in search of warmer weather. I can’t take anymore nights below freezing.
First we’ll stop overnight near the Petrified Forest. It will be colder there at night but we’re not staying long. We’ll probably need Saturday for exploration and head towards Phoenix on Sunday. That’s where the WARM part comes in :-). We’ll be in Phoenix for five days and then head up to Cottonwood, Arizona, near Sedona, where we’ll spend Thanksgiving.
Did you notice there was no mention of the Grand Canyon? Sadly, I had to take it off the list. I just don’t want to end up in a snow storm. Since we’re currently in a strong El Nino year, the weather patterns are all over the place. It will be even colder on our return route east so we’ll have to scratch it from the list until a later date.
Not to worry my friends, we still have lots and lots of adventures to share with you! I hope you’re enjoying following along. Please don’t be shy, feel free to post a comment and give us a shout out. I’ll be back when we reach the next area of free WiFi! Our monthly data dump will be coming soon after. See you real soon!
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{HUGS} from the Crew!
