El Morro National Monument

El Morro National Monument is a huge sandstone formation on an ancient trail in New Mexico there is the ruins of an ancient zuni pueblo on top of it. The formation was easy to find and was a favorite stop because it offered shelter and water for travelers over the centuries.

It became customary for these travellers to carve their names and messages in the rock it started in the 13th and 14th century with the pueblo indians they called the place "A'ts'ina" meaning the place with writing on the rocks.

Later after Francisco Coronado started exploring the Rio Grande valley in 1540  the spanish conquistador started using that road and keept using it well into the 18th century they called the place "El Morro" the Headland and they left their marks as well.

Then as the west was developped in the second half of the 19th century the Americans where the ones that started leaving their marks on the formation and they called it Inscription Rock this lasted until 1906 when it became a national monument and federal laws made new carvings illegal.