Federal funding cut halts Albuquerque Petroglyph National Monument research project

A research effort to document Albuquerque’s Petroglyph National Monument has stopped because federal officials canceled its funding. The loss halts tribal collaboration and plans to place the site on the National Register of Historic Places.

The U.S. Department of the Interior canceled financial support for the study. Work was scheduled to begin this fall.

Paul Reed is the New Mexico director and preservation archaeologist with Archaeology Southwest. Reed said the project grew from years of work with the monument, tribes, and pueblos.

More than 20 tribes and pueblos took part in discussions, Reed said. The next phase aimed to document the site in detail for nomination as a traditional cultural property.

“A lot of times the parks and monuments don’t have the full documentation,” Reed said. “So in the case of Petroglyph, a lot of work has been done there, you know, on the 30,000 some glyphs, but they hadn’t actually gone through the process of putting this paperwork, this nomination package together.”

The monument initiative was valued at about $169,000. Reed called the stoppage unprecedented for his organization.

The cancellation was one of four statewide, Reed said. He said officials halted 140 projects across the West.

The agency did not provide an explanation for halting this specific project, according to Reed. The project team received very little information regarding the decision, Reed said.

“There’s been very little information sharing about why our individual project in this group of 140 were selected to basically get shut down,” Reed said.

The monument covers over 7,000 acres on Albuquerque’s West Mesa. The landscape holds at least 30,000 ancient rock carvings.

Reed estimated the property draws about 350,000 visitors. People arrive to hike, walk, jog, or view cultural resources.

Reed said the study aimed to examine urban growth and heavy visitation. Tribes wanted stronger protection for rock carvings made by ancestors hundreds of years ago, Reed said.

Tribes also sought a greater voice in managing the land, according to Reed. The team plans to remain in contact with monument partners.

Reed said researchers hope to seek funding again in 2027. The proposal could be updated for a future federal budget cycle.

Archaeology Southwest continues operations at other sites across New Mexico. Those locations include:

• Aztec
• Chaco
• Bandelier
• El Malpais

National monuments preserve significant natural, cultural, or scientific resources under federal oversight. Research projects at these properties frequently involve partnerships between academic organizations, federal agencies, and Native American tribes.

The research team intends to preserve its partnerships in Albuquerque while waiting for future funding opportunities.