Despite concerns that paint on "A" Mountain had damaged centuries-old American Indian rock art, an expert analysis said
the ancient carvings are safe.
"That's not a 100 percent guarantee, but it's the best likelihood we have that there is nothing underneath the paint," said Amy Douglass, administrator of Tempe's Historical Museum.
Vandals painted a red letter "A" on the north side of Hayden Butte, commonly known as "A" Mountain.
The area is known to be rife with rock carvings likely etched between 1250 and 1450 by members of the Hohokam tribe.
City officials worried the paint covered some of those rock carvings when they discovered the vandalism in late November, an apparent rivalry prank in honor of the ASU-UA football game.
Officials suspect the vandals were avoiding people watching over the legendary gold "A" on the butte's south side.
It's a long-standing tradition for ASU fans to guard the gold "A" from UA supporters who try to paint it red or blue during the week of the annual rivalry game.
"This past year we had a lot of people come up there and try to paint it," said Samantha Sears, chair-captain of the "A" Team, the organization that guards it. "They would come up and they'd see us and then they'd wait at the bottom for us to come down."
But the night of the vandalism was a quiet one, Sears said. The only visitor was a park ranger checking on the students.
Earlier this month, two archeologists familiar with the area surveyed the vandalism, located in a steep, off-trail area, Douglass said.
They compared the paint's precise location to existing photos and documents detailing known rock art.
"There's always a chance when you do a survey like that that you could miss something," Douglass said. "But the fact that two different people have gone through that area and neither one had recorded anything, we're fairly certain that there isn't anything [under the paint]."
City officials are contacting paint removal firms, and work could begin in about 30 days, Douglass said.
Vendors will face strict guidelines and be thoroughly vetted to ensure proper care is given to the environment, she added.
"We're going to screen them carefully, make sure that they're sensitive to the situation," Douglass said.
Officials want to ensure chemicals are safe for vegetation and wildlife and that nearby rock art is not harmed, she said.
"There's also a beehive up there that we don't want to disturb if we don't have to," she added.
Park rangers found beer cans and bottles near the paint, but police have no suspects or leads, said Officer Brandon Banks with the Tempe Police Department.
"I'm afraid it's kind of at a bit of a standstill at this point," he said.
jonathan.cooper@asu.edu>jonathan.cooper@asu.edu.
