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Autumn Equinox Tour to Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs Sites
September 22, 2020 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Autumn Equinox Tour to Los Morteros and Picture Rocks Petroglyphs Sites” with archaeologist Allen Dart on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. This tour will depart from near Silverbell Road and Linda Vista Blvd. in Marana, Arizona.
The 2020 autumn equinox occurs on September 22 at 6:30 a.m. Mountain Standard Time (1:30 p.m. GMT). To celebrate the equinox archaeologist Allen Dart (Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s executive director) leads this tour to Los Morteros, an ancient village site that includes a Hohokam ballcourt and bedrock mortars, and to Picture Rocks, where ancient petroglyphs include a solstice and equinox calendar marker, dancing human-like figures, whimsical animals, and other rock symbols made by Hohokam Indians between 650 and 1450 CE. An equinox calendar petroglyph at Picture Rocks exhibits a specific interaction with a ray of sunlight on the morning of each equinox regardless of the hour and minute of the actual celestial equinox, so participants in this tour will see that sunlight interaction with the calendar glyph unless clouds block the sunlight.
There is a requested donation of $30 ($24 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members), which helps cover Old Pueblo’s tour expenses and supports its education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures. Donation prepayment required within 10 days of reservation request; last day to request reservations is 5 p.m. Sunday September 20. 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.