Petroglyphs are rock art created by the ancient people who went through this area. No one is sure why they came here, because water was scarce. The dynamic beauty of the Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon leads one to believe if it had a spiritual draw for the ancients. Some of the art is as old as 300 BC and was made by the Basketmaker People. These people continued to visit until about 1,500 AD. Then the Anasazi Pueblo farmers inhabited the area. The drawings were carved into the rock that is varnished by minerals, water and the sun. This is called desert varnish. It creates a dark skin over the rock. The ancients would carve their pictures into this desert varnish and the contrast of the dark background and the chiseling into the light rock, makes these images appear. It is quite an awesome experience to be face to face with a drawing that is over 2,000 years old. Please preserve the environment and the respect of these people by not defacing these images.

The wallpaper in the After You've Stripped section is replicas of petroglyphs from the Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon. As for their meaning, no one is quite certain, however most of the carvings are so detailed that one can figure out at least what the carving is.