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Abstract
This study is a cross-cultural and comparative analysis of the meaning of mountains in the American Southwest and how this symbolism is projected in the landscape. Data were collected on many types of symbolic representations, such as land use, business signs, government logos, real estate ads, folklore, and place names, primarily by utilizing field observations, interviews, and local newspapers. Three places were selected for in-depth case studies: Mount Taylor in western New Mexico, Uncompahgre Peak and the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, and Camelback Mountain and metropolitan Phoenix in central Arizona. Mount Taylor symbolizes a sacred place to American Indians, and this enhances its meaning to Hispanics and Anglos in their use of it as a communal resource. The aesthetic idealization of alpine scenery in the San Juans leads to contentious recreation land use issues. The mountains in metro Phoenix are represented as commodities that offer the highest quality leisure escapes and homesites. Mount Taylor's long-distance visibility and projection on the Navajo Nation seal result in it having a greater diffusion of symbols than do Uncompahgre Peak or Camelback Mountain. A model of mountain symbolism shows how mountain traits, relative location, land use ethics, culture, place, and representations combine to create symbolic landscapes with enduring links between mountains and community identity.
