Kaibab National Forest is one of the hidden gems of nature. Covered with juniper trees, the forest in Arizona, USA, is one stop to learn about history, archaeology, rocks and everything about nature under the sky. The site dates back to as early as 700 AD and with the help of technology, local archaeologists are bringing different facts to light.
Kaibab National Forest is home to 6,000 archaeological and historic sites. Most of these sites are linked with the Cohonina, who lived there 1,000 years ago. They left behind pottery shards, stone tools, stone houses and a lot more across the forest. Making the site more culturally and historically rich is Keyhole Sinks. It is a petroglyph site. Keyhole Sink contains fresh water in an arid region from an unknown source. Keyhole Sinks has traces of hunters who used to prey and gather around the watering hole 1,000 years ago.
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Keyhole Sink is located at Route 66, west of Parks. On the other side of the highway, you can see the Oak Hill Snow Play area.
Only traces and marks of animals like deer, snakes, frogs, and lizards, are shown on the basalt rock. They were probably killed near the water hole. Cohonina, who lived there, depicted pictures of the area around that time. As per the anthropologists, Cohonina is believed to be the ancestors of today’s Navajo Hopi, Zuni tribes and more.
However, in 2010, the petroglyphs were vandalised and people drew on the walls with aluminium roofing cement. Experts were able to retrieve the forest’s charm and have installed hidden cameras to monitor the movements.
