Native artists in Texas and Mexico shared their vision of the universe for 4,000 years, ancient murals suggest
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An elaborate red and black painting depicting a human figure holding a black spear thrower with a dart in one hand and red darts and a stick in the other hand. . | Credit: Courtesy of Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center.
Archaeologists often seek to understand ancient cultures by studying the images left on rock faces. Although these images vary widely, they are a global phenomenon. In fact, petroglyphs and murals created by past societies have so far been discovered on every continent except Antarctica.
And, in a new studyResearchers say they have found evidence of consistent imagery on cliffs, caves and natural crannies at 12 sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands – an archaeological region in southwest Texas and northern Mexico – providing evidence of consistent themes in murals over 175 generations. They say this continuity suggests that, in both regions, the hunter-gatherer conception of the universe – which the team calls their “cosmovision” – remained largely the same for around 4,000 years.
They also suggest that because of the stylistic and iconographic similarities, the paintings have been used to convey important information over thousands of years.
In modern times, the style of paintings is called “Pecos River Style” (PRS). “We suggest that Pecos River style paintings […] faithfully transmitted a sophisticated metaphysics that then informed the beliefs and symbolic expression of Mesoamerican farmers,” the authors write in the research paper.
Measuring time
To find out when the murals were created, researchers used two dating methods: radiocarbon dating and oxalate dating. They used dating to create a “chronological model” for the paintings, drawing on 57 direct radiocarbon dates and 25 oxalate dates at the 12 sites.
“Establishing the temporal context of the PRS is a prerequisite for exploiting the full interpretive potential of this sophisticated iconographic system,” the authors write in their article.
The team used radiocarbon dating of organic carbon in the paints because carbon isotopes in organic matter break down over time. By measuring this degradation, archaeologists We can obtain fairly precise dates on the age of the paint used in the murals.
“Native groups in North America used deer bone marrow fat as a binder to adhere mineral pigment particles together and saponin-rich plants, such as C3 Yucca constricta, as a vehicle or emulsifying agent,” the authors write.
Using oxalate dating, the team measured the age of the oxalate mineral accumulations above and below the paint. The difference in ages of the accretions supported the radiocarbon dating of the paint layers.
Using these dating methods, researchers discovered that the paintings – and their similarities – spanned thousands of years.
One of the paintings found. | Credit: Steelman et al., Sci. 11, eadx7205
Knowledge transfer
Archaeologists study ancient rock art, which includes rock paintings (pictographs) or rock carvings (petroglyphs), to learn about the cultures of ancient people. Many scientists have interpreted the cosmological meanings of these images, such as solar eclipses And supernovas.
However, deciphering the meaning that ancient and prehistoric civilizations assigned to the pictographs and petroglyphs they created long ago is not an exact science; it’s interpretation.
The similarities between cave murals painted over thousands of years may suggest that they were used to pass down important knowledge across many generations.
Shumla archaeologists Diana Radillo Rolón and Tim Murphy use a digital microscope to study the paint layers. | Credit: Courtesy of Shumla Archaeological Research and Education Center.
“Eight of the 12 murals, created at different times, all followed the same compositional guidelines, such as the sequential application of colors,” the authors write. “These eight also all contained the same iconographic vocabulary, representing a continuity in the cultural cosmovision.”
Although the study builds on previous studies that have found parallels between cave painting images and cosmological concepts, the authors assert that “these interpretive studies contribute to ongoing discussions about the existence, distribution, and antiquity of a pan-Mesoamerican or perhaps pan-New World cosmovision.”
A study about these results was published on November 26 in the journal Science.
