03426cam a2200373 4500 267600276 TxAuBib 20160707120000.0 030221s2003||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2003003570 9781585442591 cloth : alk. paper 1585442593 cloth : alk. paper (OCoLC)51755732 TxAuBib Boyd, Carolyn E., 1958- Rock art of the lower Pecos [paperback] / Carolyn E. Boyd. 1st ed. College Station : Texas A&M University, 2003. xii, 139 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm. Texas A&M anthropology series ; 8 Texas A & M University anthropology series ; no. 8 Four thousand years ago bands of hunter-gatherers lived in and traveled through the challenging terrain of what is now southwest Texas and northern Mexico. Today travelers to that land can view large art panels they left behind on the rock walls of Rattlesnake Canyon, White Shaman Cave, Panther Cave, Mystic Shelter, and Cedar Springs. Messages from a distant past, they are now interpreted for modern readers by artist-archaeologist Carolyn Boyd. It has been thought that the meaning of this ancient art was lost with the artists who produced it. However, thanks to research breakthroughs, these elaborate rock paintings are again communicating a narrative that was inaccessible to humanity for millennia. In the gateway serpents, antlered shamans, and human-animal–cross forms pictured in these ancient murals, Boyd sees a way that ancient hunter-gatherer artists could express their belief systems, provide a mechanism for social and environmental adaptation, and act as agents in the social, economic, and ideological affairs of the community. She offers detailed information gleaned from the art regarding the nature of the lower Pecos cosmos, ritual practices involving the use of sacramental and medicinal plants, and hunter-gatherer lifeways. Now, combining the tools of the ethnologist with the aesthetic sensibilities of an artist, Boyd demonstrates that prehistoric art is not beyond explanation. Images from the past contain a vast corpus of data—accessible through proven, scientific methods—that can enrich our understanding of human life in prehistory and, at the same time, expand our appreciation for the work of art in the present and the future. Includes bibliographical references (p. 125-134) and index. The work of art -- Environment and cultural setting of the lower Pecos River Region -- Drawing from the past: recording and describing rock art -- Gateway serpents and otherworld journeys -- Nature's bridge to the otherworld -- Unveiling the work of art -- Appendix: Reporting forms for rock art. 20160707. Indians of North America New Mexico Antiquities. Indians of North America Pecos River Valley (N.M. and Tex.) Antiquities. Petroglyphs Pecos River Valley (N.M. and Tex.) Rock paintings Pecos River Valley (N.M. and Tex.) Pecos River Valley (N.M. and Tex.) Antiquities. Texas A&M anthropology series ; 8. Texas A & M University anthropology series ; no. 8. TXLMP