Cedar Mesa & Monument Valley

"Fallen Roof Ruin"

March 2012, Cedar Mesa, Utah

Fallen Roof is one of my favorite ruins. The amazing colors and pictographs of the site make it irresistible to photographers. Pictographs are paintings on rocks, as opposed to petroglyphs which are etched into the rocks. A fine example of a pictograph, the three hands, can be seen on the roof of the alcove, still clearly visible even after the passage of 800 years. The alcove sheltering the ruin is actually quite small, making photography quite difficult. A very wide angle lens is necessary, because you can only back up so far. A miscalculation could lead to a fatal plunge to the bottom of Road Canyon far below.

AnasaziCedar MesaFallen Roof RuinIndian RuinsPictographsSouthwestern USAUtah