In August, ancient petroglyphs east of Route 66 near Williams, Ariz., were found vandalized by spray paint. Experts believe the petroglyphs at Keyhole Sink are at least 1,000 years old.
But according to Seth Muller at the Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff, the paint has been removed and the petroglyphs mostly restored:
In November, Weintraub and the staff with the Kaibab National Forest managed to clean up the graffiti with the help of Johannes Loubser, a rock-art restoration expert who originally did his work in South Africa. He traveled to northern Arizona to repair damage done to a petroglyph panel in Glen Canyon, just below the dam. […]
“We got really lucky in that (Loubser) was already in the area,” Weintraub said. For little extra in costs, the Kaibab National Forest staff managed to get his expertise on the cleanup. Still, the type of paint used proved difficult to remove without damaging the panel. A firefighter assisting with the restoration made the suggestion of applying heat, which melted the paint off.
Loubser used other solvents and had crews cover the panel with a wash of local mud to help protect the rock art and help return the panel to its original color.
Muller reported that he could barely tell any difference from the last time he visited the site, save for a bit of discoloration where the spray-painting had occurred. And it’s hoped the discoloration will fade over time.
Here’s a good picture of the petroglyphs before the vandalization.