New research from Texas State University has unveiled the profound impact of Pecos River rock art on the belief systems of various Mesoamerican cultures. The study, which dates the rock art to approximately 6,000 years ago, highlights complex metaphysical concepts embedded in the imagery, suggesting a continuity of cultural messaging that spans millennia.
The research team, led by Karen Steelman, Ph.D., science director at the Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center, along with Carolyn Boyd, Ph.D., and Phil Dering, Ph.D., from Texas State University, has published their findings in the journal Science Advances. The paper, titled “Mapping the chronology of an ancient cosmovision: 4000 years of continuity in Pecos River style mural painting and symbolism,” details the extensive history and significance of these rock art traditions.
Dr. Boyd emphasized the importance of their findings, stating, “We have securely dated one of the most distinctive rock art traditions in the world — the Pecos River style murals of Southwest Texas.” The analysis involved 57 radiocarbon dates from 12 sites, revealing that Indigenous communities began creating these striking, polychromatic murals nearly 6,000 years ago.
The research challenges previous assumptions that these expansive murals were developed over centuries. Instead, the radiocarbon dating indicates that many of the murals were likely produced during a single painting event, forming a cohesive visual narrative. “Another huge shocker is that the dates within many of the murals clustered so closely as to be statistically indistinguishable,” Dr. Boyd noted, contradicting the belief that the murals represented a random collection of images accumulated over time.
Using advanced techniques such as plasma oxidation and accelerator mass spectrometry, the team established that the Pecos River style likely began between 5,760 and 5,385 years ago and continued until approximately 1,370 to 1,035 years ago. Stratigraphic and iconographic analyses revealed that eight murals adhered to a set of compositional rules and a defined iconographic vocabulary. This consistency suggests a strong cultural foundation that endured despite changes in material culture, land use, and climate.
The findings indicate that the Pecos River style paintings served as a cultural keystone, effectively transmitting sophisticated metaphysical concepts that influenced later Mesoamerican agricultural societies. Dr. Boyd explained, “The compositional nature of the murals was further supported by our analysis of the painting sequence. Using a digital microscope to retrace the steps followed by the original artists, we discovered that the painters adhered to a rule-bound color application order.”
The intricate paintings, some measuring over 100 feet long and 20 feet tall, feature humanlike, animal-like, and geometric figures arranged in deliberate compositions. The desert climate has remarkably preserved these prehistoric artworks, which were created as visual manuscripts according to a set of rules passed down through generations.
Dr. Boyd expressed the significance of these discoveries for contemporary Indigenous communities: “Today, Indigenous communities in the U.S. and Mexico can relate the stories communicated through the imagery to their own cosmologies, demonstrating the antiquity and persistence of a pan-New World belief system that is at least 6,000 years old.” She added, “The canyons of Southwest Texas house a vast and ancient library of painted texts documenting 175 generations of sacred stories and Indigenous knowledge. As an artist and an archaeologist, I can tell you that this is a breathtaking discovery.”
This groundbreaking research not only alters our understanding of the Pecos River rock art tradition but also highlights the enduring connections between ancient and modern Indigenous belief systems in the Americas.
