The work of art : rock art and adaptation in the lower Pecos, Texas Archaic

Abstract

This dissertation presents a study of prehistoric, hunter-gatherer rock art in Lower Pecos River Region, located at the northeastern reaches of the Chihuahuan Desert within the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The primary objectives of the dissertation are as follows: (1) demonstrate that prehistoric art can be explained through scientific methods, (2) synthesize rock art explanations generated using scientific methods to address issues regarding hunting and gathering lifeways of the lower Pecos Archaic, (3) demonstrate that rock art production was a mechanism for social and environmental adaptation, and (4) demonstrate that the art and artists of the lower Pecos were active agents in the social, economic, and ideological business of the community. A formal analysis of five rock art panels in the region revealed recurring themes or “motifs.” Using ethnological data, hypotheses were formulated to explain three of the motifs identified during the analysis. The hypotheses were tested against the lower Pecos material record and neuropsychological behavior associated with altered states of consciousness, and considered within the context of the social and biophysical environment of the region. Results of the analysis contributed to the reconstruction of lower Pecos prehistory. The rock art was a vehicle through which intangible assets were shared—individual knowledge became group knowledge. Produced within an egalitarian society in which direct instruction was considered inappropriate, rock art facilitated the “indirect” dissemination of information necessary for successful exploitation of the hunting and gathering niche—information regarding the bio-physical environment, animal behavior, and ecological relationships. Additionally, art and artist were active agents in maintaining, reproducing, and challenging social relations. Artists communicated information regarding the structure of their cosmos, messages from the supernatural realm, and prescriptions for rituals through the art. Production of rock art was an adaptive behavioral response to variable environmental conditions and was ingrained in the technological, social, and ideological business of the hunting and gathering community within which it was produced.