Standing Cow Ruin Gallery

FLUTE PLAYERS ALMOST APPEAR TO BE SERENADING THE LIFE-SIZED "STANDING COW", THE NAMESAKE FOR THIS SITE.

Standing Cow Ruin Gallery

CDM – 4

I visited the Standing Cow Ruin Site in Canyon del Muerto on the morning of Saturday, March 7, 2026 on my Spring 2026 Rock Art Trip. This ruin is about a mile past Antelope House, further into Canyon Del Muerto. Thought to be one of the larger ruins, the site covers an area 400 feet long by 40 feet wide, originally consisting of about sixty rooms and threes. There is very little of the original ruins left, but there are several Navajo log-and-earth storage cists, one of which is almost right under the Standing Cow pictograph element. There are Anasazi Great Pueblo and Navajo pictographs at the site. Great Pueblo elements include stick anthropomorphs with raised arms, flute players, handprints, quadrupeds, and concentric circles done in white, yellow and black. While the “Standing Cow” Navajo pictograph is located along the base of the cliff, the most interesting Navajo paintings at the site are located above a fifty-foot- high ledge at the west end of the site. These paintings depict a procession of Spanish horsemen, horses, and dogs. This panel is believed to represent the soldiers of Lieutenant Antonio Narbona who fought the Navajo at Massacre Cave in 1805. The three-foot high central figure with a black cape and cross is thought to represent the Spanish leader. An armed Indian is riding with the Spaniards and the Spanish are depicted with flat-brimmed hats and long winter cloaks, armed with muskets. There is also a charcoal painting of 1860 period mounted U.S. Cavalryman near the life-sized “Standing Cow” element. All in all, a very diverse and interesting site. This first group of photos were taken with my Samsung S-22 cellphone camera.

RICHARD, SHOOTING THE WEST END OF THE STANDING COW RUIN SITE FROM THE ROAD.

THE SPANISH CAVALCADE PANEL HIGH UP ON THE WEST END OF THE CANYON WALL AT THE STANDING COW RUIN SITE.

THE HEART OF THE STANDING COW MAIN PANEL. NOTE THE VIGA HOLES AND LOW WALL RUINS TO THE LEFT OF THE STANDING COW.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE STANDING COW PANEL. FROM THIS ANGLE THE LIFE-SIZED STANDING COW LOOKS RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE NAVAJO LOG AND EARTH STORAGE CIST.

THIS PHOTO PROVIDES A GOOD LOOK AT THE THREE FLUTE PLAYERS IN THE CENTER OF THE PANEL.

CHARCOAL PAINTINGS NEAR THE STANDING COW ELEMENT, INCLUDING A MOUNTED U.S. CAVALRY MAN, CIRCA 1860.

VIGA HOLES AND ROOM WALL PAINTINGS AT STANDING COW.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OF THE STANDING COW AND NEARBY NAVAJO LOG-AND-EARTH STORAGE CIST.

YOURS TRULY AT THE STANDING COW RUIN SITE, MARCH 7, 2026.

I took this next group of photographs in RAW format at Standing Cow Ruin with my Nikon D500 and processed them in Lightroom Classic.

A BEAUTIFUL NAVAJO PAINTING OF A SPANISH CAVALCADE OF THE NARBONA EXPEDITION (1804-1805).

A LITTLE CLOSER LOOK AT THE NARBONA PANEL. THE FIGURE WITH THE BLACK CAPE WITH THE CROSS ON IT IS 3' HIGH AND REPRESENTS THE SPANISH LEADER.

A SHORT DISTANCE TO THE EAST OF THE NARBONA PANEL THE LEDGE DROPS DOWN AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. ALONG THIS ANGLED LEDGE ARE SOME GREAT PUEBLO PICTOGRAPHS. THE FIRST ARE TWO UNIQUE ANTHROPOMORPHS PAINTED IN YELLOW. WHAT ARE THEY HOLDING IN THEIR HANDS??!

BELOW THE TWO YELLOW FIGURS ON THE INCLINED LEDGE ARE SEVERAL CONCENTRIC CIRCLE ELEMENTS AND TWO WHITE ANTHROPOMORPHS.

EVEN FURTHER DOWN THE INCLINED LEDGE ARE SOME MORE ANTHROS AND A CONCENTRIC CIRCLE ELEMENT -- ALL VERY VERY FAINT.

THE LIFE-SIZED STANDING COW IS CERTAINLY THE STAR OF THIS SHOW. IT APPEARS TO BE SUPERIMPOSED OVER SOME OLDER GREAT PUEBLO ART.

IN ADDITION TO THE WHITE FLUTE PLAYERS LOCATED ABOVE AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE STANDING COW IMAGE, THIS RED FLUTE PLAYER IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE TAIL OF THE COW. (PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD R.)

NEARBY IS ANOTHER VERY FAINT FLUTE PLAYER, JUST ABOVE THE TWO WHITE CIRLCE ELEMENTS. NOTE ALSO THE WHITE WATER BIRD AND THE MANY RED DOTS.

CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THIS PORTION OF THE STANDING COW PANEL REVEALS MANY HANDPRINTS DONE IN WHITE, YELLOW, AND RED. YOU CAN ALSO SEE AN INTERESTING QUADRUPED.

TO THE LEFT OF THE BLACK CONCENTRIC CIRCLE IS A RED FIGURE AND A YELLOW FIGURE. QUADRAPEDS? BIRDS?

Richard took some wonderful pictures of the Narbona panel at Standing Cow Ruin. His Nikon P900/950 has an amazing reach which is perfect for panels such as this that must be photographed from very far away. His photos have some amazing detail that I was not able to get with my camera setup. According to Campbell Grant this panel is supposed to show an armed Indian riding with the Spaniards and two Spaniardson a single horse shooting at an Indian. Do see any elements that might depict these two items described by Grant on page 259 of his book? I don’t see them. Perhaps the multi-colored horses are those of the Indians? Thank you Richard, for giving me permission to display these photos!