Tse’ Hane
“The Rock That Tells A Story”
Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument
About an hour drive from Moab off Highway 211 is a truly remarkable landmark known as Newspaper Rock. In Navajo, it is called Tse’ Hane or “rock that tells a story.” It’s one of the largest collections of concentrated petroglyphs known to exist with over 650 incredible designs carved into a 200 square foot rock panel.
The first carvings were created around 2,000 years ago by Anasazi, Navajo and other tribes. The rock is covered with desert varnish, a dark coating made of blackish manganese-iron deposits created by oxidation in arid desert air. When carved, the lighter sandstone colors that lay beneath become exposed, and the contrast in the colors creates some of the most dramatic glyphs I’ve ever seen.
The carvings include symbols and animals found in the area like bison, deer and pronghorn sheep.
There are also what appear to be snakes, turtles, oversized human prints and even broad-shouldered animal-headed men.
The drawings read like a story giving the monument its name, Newspaper Rock. Why there is such a large concentration of petroglyphs here remains a mystery as does the meaning of each depiction.
Incredible Destinations:
Sacred Valley, Peru - Mystical Land of the Incas
Catalina Island - A Perfect Weekend Getaway
Visit California’s Eastern Sierra
Been wanting to plan a trip to Machu Picchu?
What’s stopping you? Overwhelmed figuring it all out? Don’t know what to see and do?
Get my 12-Day Sample Itinerary to make trip planning easy and mark it off your bucket list