6,000-Year-Old Native American Perspective Echoed in Rock Art of South Texas

The Lower Pecos Canyonlands in Texas house an exceptional array of rock art created by an unknown group of wandering hunter-gatherers. These artworks, numbering over 200, act as a comprehensive visual archive of their worldview. Recently, a group of researchers, including Karen Steelman and Carolyn Boyd, undertook an in-depth study and released their results in Science Advances.

The murals, painted over a span of 4,000 years, with the oldest dating back 6,000 years, showcase humanoid and animal-like forms as well as symbols that illustrate creation myths, calendar cycles, and rituals. Created by around 175 generations, these artworks adhere to a consistent set of principles, facilitating visual communication across generations.

Boyd points out that these artworks could represent the earliest visual documentation that impacted subsequent Mesoamerican societies and Indigenous cultures. The murals are compared to an ancient repository of knowledge, still narrating tales through the ages. Today’s Indigenous communities view them as living ancestral spirits. The research underscores connections within pre-Columbian history, drawing similarities between these murals and aspects found in Aztec and Huichol traditions in Mexico.