An Art-Historical Paradigm for Investigating Native American Pictographs of the Lower Pecos Region, Texas (original) (raw)

Rock art and hunter-gatherer archaeology: A case study from SW Texas and northern Mexico

Journal of Field Archaeology, 1990

The pictographic sequence in the Lower Pecos River region ofTexas illustrates the contribution that rock art can make to the reconstruction ofprehistoric cultural systems. The indigenous development and later introduction ofmature artforms contrast markedly with the current static model ofhunting andgathering adaptation to this now-arid region. Four prehistoric rock art styles and the historical pictographs are described in chronological order and in the context ofarchaeological remains. The difference between the perceptions ofprehistoric lifeways afforded by studies ofartforms and those that concentrate on material culture are attributed to the degree ofconstraint exerted on each subsystem by physicalfactors. Environmental conditions) such as the limited availability ofwater, the desert biotic community, and thegeologic distribution ofrock shelters) place limits on the strategies ofsubsistence) technology) and settlement) the data classes most important in ecological models. Behavioral subsystems) such as those manifested in the rock art) are more pliant) reflecting social and ideological influences that are more difficult to detect in the analysis ofmaterial culture.

2021b. Approaching Rock Art Regions: Trans-Pecos Texas (USA) as an Illustrative Case Study

Gjerde, J-M. & Arntzen, M. (eds), Perspectives on Differences in Rock Art, 2021

Jamie Hampson is a Senior Lecturer in the Humanities Department at the University of Exeter. He has a PhD and an MPhil in archaeology from the University of Cambridge, and BA (Honours) in history from the University of Oxford. Jamie works primarily on rock art, identity, and heritage projects in western Australia, southern Africa, and the Greater Southwest USA. His most recent book is 'Rock Art and Regional Identity: a Comparative Perspective'.

Art and Territoriality in the Lower Pecos Archaic

Plains Anthropologist, 1977

The approximate prehistoric territorial limits of an Archaic belief system in the lower Pecos area of Texas is hypothesized on the basis of the geographic distribution of a distinctive pictograph style. It is proposed that these rock art localities functioned as ritual sites for a group of Archaic bands who shared a common ideology.

Digital Documentation and the Archaeology of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands

Virtual Archaeology Review, 3, 5, May, 2012, 98-103, 2012

The Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas and northern Mexico house some of the most complex and compositionally intricate prehistoric rock art in the world. Because of the unique nature and the incomparable richness of this cultural legacy, it is imperative to create a permanent visual, auditory and textual archive for present and future generations and to promote preservation of this resource through education. SHUMLA’s Lower Pecos Rock Art Recording and Preservation Project is meeting this need through digital documentation of rock art sites, creation of a digital library to archive rock art data, establishment of a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary research program, and continuation of hands-on education programs that connect people of all ages to this unique cultural legacy. Key words: ROCK ART, LOWER PECOS, 3-D LIDAR, ROCK ART RECORDING, PICTOGRAPHS En las cañadas de la parte baja del Rio Pecos en el suroeste de Texas y el norte de México se abre una serie de cuevas con impresionantes pictografias que presentan algunas de las composiciones más complejas e intrincadas del mundo. Debido a sus cualidades excepcionales y a la incomparable riqueza de este legado cultural, es urgente crear un archivo visual permanente, auditivo y documental que puedan aprovechar las generaciones presentes y futuras. El proyecto Shumla’s Lower Pecos Rock Art Recording and Preservation Project pretende lograr este objetivo a través de la documentación digital de los yacimientos con arte rupestre, de la creación de una biblioteca digital para archivar los datos relacionados con el arte rupestre y el desarrollo de un programa coherente de investigación multidisciplinaria. Palabras Clave: ARTE RUPESTRE, LOWER PECOS, 3-D LIDAR