An Unseen Wonder at 'Alaxulux'en
Nestled within the Santa Ynez Mountains of Santa Barbara, California, lies 'Alaxulux'en, the site of the Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park. However, an unseen wonder towering at over 40 feet in height is a testament to precision and natural artistry, leaves one with more questions than answers.
Its rock outcroppings form an unmistakable profile of a coyote: from its perked ears, and sharply defined muzzle, to its prominent nose sniffing the air, as well as the way the intricate lines create the shape of an eye and eyeball within it.
Recognition and Visibility
Prior to its discovery on December 23, 2023, the coyote rock formation had remained completely hidden in plain sight – no blogs, newspapers, magazines, websites, radio broadcasts, nor social media platforms had made any mentioned of it, nor has any mention been made as of the publishing of this book.
Despite its size and detail, this sandstone marvel has remained hidden in plain sight for centuries against the cliffs of 'Alaxulux'en.
As of February 29, 2024, the website Tripadvisor.com – billing itself as "the world's largest travel platform with over a billion reviews and contributions" – hosts 69 review posts dating back to July 6, 2010, contributed by both visitors from around the world and local visitors as well, not to mention that of a resident of the nearby Painted Cave Community just a few miles up the road.
And yet, these posts primarily focus on the interior of the cave, with additional notations such as the hazardous road conditions getting to and around the cave, and the extremely limited – almost non-existent – parking at the actual site itself. The coyote rock formation remains conspicuously absent from all these accounts.
The Bear and the Sky Coyote
A possibility exists that both this rock formation, and the bear-shaped silhouette of the Painted Cave itself, were not carved into the mountain.
Extremely detailed images provided by Google's mapping service called Street View – using a combination of eight 20-megapixel cameras, LiDAR scanners, and laser range scanners – show the coyote rock formation appearing as though it was thrust out from within the face of the mountain.
Similarly, for the inside of the irregularly shaped cave, the state-of-the-art documentation technologies used by the scientific research group CyArk have meticulously captured the detailed geometry and texture of the site using 3D recording technologies. This approach reveals not just the smoothness of the walls inside the cave, but also how its interior shape and form appear to remain consistent from the back of cave through the front entry way. It is reminiscent of the molds left behind in Pompeii, Italy, when the inhabitants were buried in ash by the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. where all that was left was an empty space where they once lay buried.
As mentioned earlier, the entrance to the actual cave itself, as well as the interior of the cave, is in the shape of a bear - and not just any bear, mind you, but the celestial Great Bear - the constellation Ursa Major, which travels in a circle around the North Star, commonly known by the Chumash Indians as Shnilemun or the Coyote of the Sky (the "Sky Coyote"). The silhouette of the bear points its "nose" to the front of the mountain where the coyote rock formation is located, further solidifying our theory that this coyote rock formation is, in fact, the physical representation of the Sky Coyote, making this place more valuable archaeologically and anthropologically than most understand.
The Truth is Out There
Uncovering definitive answers about the Chumash people and the discovery made has proven challenging due to the loss of oral traditions and limited archaeological evidence.
Without any written documentation about this place, and only slivers of myths and legends concerning the Sky Coyote to go by, we have attempted in good faith to meticulously examine the available knowledge and ventured into exciting possibilities to bring you a series of books in hopes that it will serve you, our readers, as a valuable learning opportunity.
“Chnawaway and the Sky Coyote” is a available now from Amazon.
And coming soon: "Beyond 'Alaxulux'en: Starry Secrets, Sacred Connections".
Let us Know to Reserve Your Copy Today!
Enjoy!
~ The Second Ridge Publishing Team!