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Tsankawi Trailhead Sign

Location of sign - New Mexico Route 4 near White Rock, New Mexico

Photo taken- July 2008

Text of sign:

Tsankawi

We are synonymous with and born of the earth, so we are made of the same stuff as our houses...We built them, tasted them, 

talked with them, climbed on them, lived with them, and watched them die...The entire community was the house.

Rena Swentzell, Santa Clara Pueblo writer and architectural historian

The trail beginning here follows centuries-old paths through an area where ancestral Pueblo people lived seven hundred years ago.

They tended their gardens and went about their daily lives surrounded by expansive vistas of what are now known as the Jemez

Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and valleys resulting from the Rio Grande rift.

According to Pueblo traditions, the people of Tsankawi (SAN-ka-WEE) spoke Tewa, while those in Frijoles Canyon in the main

section of section of Bandelier National Monument, spoke Keres.  While their languages were different, their religious beliefs,

lifestyles, and worldview were similar.  Even today, active pueblos - San Ildefonso, Cochiti, and others - retain strong social and

traditional ties with these two cultural sites.

The 1.5 mile loop trail takes you to the mesa top and returns along the edge of the mesa, where you'll see cave rooms and 

petroglyphs.  

Here you can walk in the steps of ancestral Pueblo people; a centuries-old path leads to the mesa top.  Petroglyphs - rock 

carvings- suggest clues to life centuries ago.  The meanings known by present day pueblos make petroglyphs cultural treasures, 

please respect them.

Know Before You Go

This area closes at dusk.

Pets and bicycles are not permitted.

Take plenty of water.

Stay on maintained trails at all times and keep children close to you. This trail involves three ladders, sharp drop-offs, and 

scrambling over and around rocks.

Take valuables with you and lock your car.

Leave everything, including plants, rocks, artifacts, and petroglyphs as you find them for others to enjoy.  Observe wildlife from a

distance.

There is no lightning-safe shelter along the trail.  Leave the area immediately if lightning threatens.

Trail Log

Trailhead to Tsankawi: 1 hour, .75 mile each way, 150 foot elevation change

Graphics on the Sign:

In addition to the text there are inset pictures of the trails and petroglyphs and a three dimensional picture of the trail.

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You can find more information about the state of New Mexico here.