Found in the spiritual mythology of the ancient Zuni, Hopi and Pueblo cultures, Avanyu is the Hopi name for the water serpent, "one who lives in the water below the earth, one who carries us through the water of change", a rain and lightning deity who is believed to have given birth to the waterways, and whose voice is thunder.

The sacred Avanyu lives in streams and is feathered with a turquoise horn growing from the middle of its forehead. The horn moves, sending rain for crops. When the Avanyu creeps on the ground and snaps its tail, it causes thunder, and when its tongue strikes out of it mouth, it causes lightening. If you see the Avanyu it will bring luck and good health, and it means there is water nearby or that it will rain soon. The symbol of Avanyu signifies the prayer for and representation of water.

Avanyu is the mythical serpent that is the guardian of the springs across the Pueblo cultures of the Southwest. The Avanyu petroglyph was created long before the first White man set foot on the continents, and may date back to the Anasazi, 'The Ancient Ones'. According to tribal wisdom, those who poison the water must face Avanyu's fiery revenge.