Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park, California
Encyclopedia
Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park is a unit in the state park
system of California
, USA, preserving a small sandstone
cave adorned with rock art
attributed to the Chumash people. Adjoining the small community of Painted Cave
, the site is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of California State Route 154 and 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Santa Barbara
. The 7.5 acres (3 ha) park was established in 1976.
The smooth and irregularly-shaped shallow sandstone cave contains numerous drawings apparently depicting the Chumash cosmology
and other subjects created in mineral pigments and other media over a long period ranging from about 200 up to possibly 1000 years or more. There is also evidence of graffiti beginning with early white settlers, which eventually led to creation of a protective physical barrier and State Historic Park
status. In 1972 it was added as Site #72000256 on the National Register of Historical Places.
Access is from State Route 154 about 5 miles (8 km) north of U.S. Route 101 in the San Marcos Pass
in the Santa Ynez Mountains
, driving 2 miles (3.2 km) north on Painted Cave Road. The cave is adjacent to the left side of this narrow one-lane mountain road, with a slightly widened shoulder that provides parking for one or two vehicles. The drive is not appropriate for trailers and RVs, due to some very tight turns and steep sections. The art is very close to the road up a trail that includes a few short stairs with a metal handrail, ending on a landing at metal gate protecting the cave entrance. The gate is made in such a way that viewing and photography is convenient for people of any height.
This park is one of the few providing open access for viewing original Rock art of the Chumash people
in person. Flash photographs are prohibited since they can harm the artwork; some people use flashlights to help view the art, and some take photographs with long exposures with the camera braced on the metal gate or using a tripod.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
system of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, preserving a small sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
cave adorned with rock art
Rock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
attributed to the Chumash people. Adjoining the small community of Painted Cave
Painted Cave, California
Painted Cave is an unincorporated community located in the Santa Ynez Mountains and is so named due to its proximity to Painted Cave State Historic Park. It is primarily served by Camino Cielo Road and California State Route 154, which link the community both to the nearby Santa Ynez Valley and...
, the site is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of California State Route 154 and 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. The 7.5 acres (3 ha) park was established in 1976.
The smooth and irregularly-shaped shallow sandstone cave contains numerous drawings apparently depicting the Chumash cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
and other subjects created in mineral pigments and other media over a long period ranging from about 200 up to possibly 1000 years or more. There is also evidence of graffiti beginning with early white settlers, which eventually led to creation of a protective physical barrier and State Historic Park
California State Historic Park
The State of California operates and maintains about fifty California State Historic Parks, ranging from Shasta State Historic Park, a California Gold Rush-era ghost town in the northern part of the state, to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park in downtown San Diego in the southern part of the...
status. In 1972 it was added as Site #72000256 on the National Register of Historical Places.
Access is from State Route 154 about 5 miles (8 km) north of U.S. Route 101 in the San Marcos Pass
San Marcos Pass
San Marcos Pass is a mountain pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains in California.It is traversed by State Route 154. The pass connects Los Olivos and the Santa Ynez Valley with Santa Barbara, California...
in the Santa Ynez Mountains
Santa Ynez Mountains
The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America, and are one of the northernmost mountain ranges in Southern California.-Geography:...
, driving 2 miles (3.2 km) north on Painted Cave Road. The cave is adjacent to the left side of this narrow one-lane mountain road, with a slightly widened shoulder that provides parking for one or two vehicles. The drive is not appropriate for trailers and RVs, due to some very tight turns and steep sections. The art is very close to the road up a trail that includes a few short stairs with a metal handrail, ending on a landing at metal gate protecting the cave entrance. The gate is made in such a way that viewing and photography is convenient for people of any height.
This park is one of the few providing open access for viewing original Rock art of the Chumash people
Rock art of the Chumash people
Chumash rock art is a genre of paintings on caves, mountains, cliffs, or other living rock surfaces, created by the Chumash people of southern California. Pictographs and petroglyphs are common through interior California, the rock painting tradition thrived until the 19th century...
in person. Flash photographs are prohibited since they can harm the artwork; some people use flashlights to help view the art, and some take photographs with long exposures with the camera braced on the metal gate or using a tripod.
See also
- Burro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted Cave is in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, and West Hills and Bell Canyon, in Ventura County of Southern California, United States. It is a Cave containing Chumash Native American pictographs...
- Chumash people
- Painted Rock
- Shalawa Meadow, CaliforniaShalawa Meadow, CaliforniaShalawa Meadow is a seaside meadow used in ancient times as a burial site by the Chumash people, adjoining a once large Chumash community about 5 miles east of Santa Barbara, California in the Coast Village portion of the community of Montecito.-History:The South Coast area of Santa Barbara...
- List of California state parks