Blue Faces

About This Experience

Blue Faces – A Steep Search into the Past We knew that somewhere above us, hidden along the sandstone walls, there should be another group of the mysterious Canyonlands Faces Motif. The archaeological report refers to the site as Eleven Faces, and one of its photographs shows three particularly striking figures. For our own story, however, the name that immediately seemed right was Blue Faces. Reaching them was very different from our visit to the Thirteen Faces. The distance was not great, but there was no comfortable stroll to the panel. We had to work out our own way up a very steep slope, constantly choosing where to place our feet and looking for the safest line through the rocks. The climb was short but intense, the kind of ascent where a few hundred yards can feel much longer because nearly every step demands attention. Somewhere above us were the figures, but from below there was little indication of exactly where they were hiding. Eventually we reached the correct level and began searching along the cliff. Then the forms slowly appeared on the sandstone—faint at first, partly obscured by discoloration and the effects of water, but unmistakable once we were close enough. The effort of the climb disappeared immediately. They were beautiful. Three broad human-like figures emerged from the wall, their large heads and simple faces belonging unmistakably to the same extraordinary artistic tradition we had encountered elsewhere in Canyonlands. The archaeological report identifies the complete site as part of the Faces Motif, a style found only in the Canyonlands area. These figures were generally made as nearly life-sized, front-facing anthropomorphs, often arranged in rows. Their characteristic faces are U-shaped, with a flat upper edge and curved chin, and usually almost no facial features except the eyes. Arms and legs are typically absent, while clothing, hairstyles and ornaments receive surprisingly careful attention. The Eleven Faces site is particularly interesting because the archaeological inventory actually records twelve anthropomorphs, despite the traditional name. The table also records extensive decoration among them, including hair bobs, eyes, painted chest details, jewelry, gorgets and sashes. What fascinated us most, however, was the color. In this region we had become accustomed to seeing rock art dominated by red and white pigments, sometimes still surprisingly vivid after centuries. Here we saw traces that appeared blue or blue-gray, giving the figures a completely different appearance. Blue is not absent from the Faces Motif tradition—the report specifically notes blue among the colors used in decorated sashes and even identifies a blue anthropomorph at another Faces site—but it is certainly a much less familiar sight than the strong reds and whites we had encountered again and again. The condition of the Blue Faces also told a story of their own. Water had clearly been dripping down the wall from above for a very long time. Pale vertical stains crossed the surface, and parts of the paintings seemed to have been gradually weakened or removed by repeated moisture. The figures were still recognizable, but they appeared fragile, almost as though the canyon itself were slowly reclaiming them. It was easy to imagine how much stronger the colors might once have been. Pigments that survived for eight centuries beneath a protected overhang could disappear surprisingly quickly where water repeatedly crossed the same section of rock. We could only wonder how these figures looked when they were first painted—whether the areas that now appeared dark, blue-gray or faded once had much richer colors and sharper patterns. Some of the details preserved on the Eleven Faces are especially revealing. The report notes black crescent-shaped gorgets at this site. These may have represented real textile ornaments: comparable crescent-shaped objects made from yucca thread and cotton are known archaeologically from the broader Puebloan region. Hair was another important part of the imagery. Many Faces Motif figures show hair gathered into bobs or bundles at the shoulders. The report emphasizes that this hairstyle was known among both Ancestral Puebloan and Fremont populations over long periods and therefore cannot reliably identify either gender or a single cultural group. What it may tell us, however, is that the painters were deliberately depicting recognizable aspects of appearance rather than simply creating generic human shapes. The same seems true of the bodies. Almost half of all known Faces Motif anthropomorphs contain painted or pecked lines across their chests. The archaeological authors suggest that these elaborate markings may represent body paint rather than tattoos or clothing. Common designs run from the shoulders toward the waist or form V-shaped patterns across the torso. Clothing may also have carried considerable meaning. The report argues that some belts and sashes probably portray loom-woven cotton textiles, an important element of Puebloan material culture after about AD 1100. Wide decorated sashes could include red, white, black and blue stripes, perhaps representing striped twill fabric and possibly serving as markers of Mesa Verdean identity. That possibility changes the way one looks at these figures. They may not simply be mysterious supernatural beings decorated according to artistic imagination. Their hair, jewelry, textile ornaments and body markings may have communicated very specific information to people who understood the visual language. The report proposes that the Faces Motif dates mainly to the Pueblo III period, approximately AD 1170–1300, when small Mesa Verde Ancestral Puebloan communities occupied parts of Canyonlands. One of the most intriguing interpretations is that these rows of faces represented ancestors. Their repeated, standardized appearance and simple horizontal eyes do not suggest portraits of specific living individuals. The report raises the possibility that the slit-like eyes could symbolize the closed eyes of the dead and that the figures, together with their clothing and jewelry, may have represented deceased members or symbolic ancestors of a kin group. The same study suggests that the conspicuous placement of many Faces Motif panels could have communicated group identity. A community might have used these images to express shared descent, unity and perhaps even its relationship to particular land and resources. The authors are careful to emphasize that this remains an interpretation rather than something that can be proven, but the archaeological context makes it a compelling possibility. Standing beneath the Blue Faces after that steep climb, such ideas were difficult to ignore. The figures seemed both damaged and remarkably persistent. Water had been flowing over portions of the wall for centuries, pigments had faded, and details had disappeared, yet the eyes and broad forms were still there. Perhaps the unusual blue tones we saw were once part of elaborate clothing or body decoration; perhaps chemical alteration and centuries of weathering have changed their original appearance. What is certain is that color mattered to the artists, and that red, white, black and blue all formed part of the broader visual vocabulary documented for the Faces Motif. Finding the panel made the short climb feel completely worthwhile. There was something especially satisfying about having to work out the route ourselves, climbing steeply through the canyon and then finally recognizing the faded human forms on the wall. They were not perfectly preserved like images in a museum. They had been exposed to the canyon’s water, minerals, heat and cold for hundreds of years, and that damage had become part of their history. We called them the Blue Faces because that unusual color was what stayed with us most strongly. Surrounded by a landscape where ancient paintings so often survive in reds and whites, these weathered blue-toned figures seemed almost unexpected—a rare splash of another color still clinging to the sandstone after roughly eight centuries. Perhaps they represented ancestors, perhaps members of a community, perhaps people dressed for ceremony, or something entirely different. Their true meaning disappeared long ago. But after the steep search and the moment when we finally stood in front of them, the mystery only made them more beautiful.