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- Title
An Alternative Interpretation of Some Iconographies Present in the Lower Pecos River Style Rock Art: An Ethnographic Study.
- Authors
Gonzalez Davila, Jose Medina
- Abstract
Over the last decade, archaeological researchers have re-examined Lower Pecos River Style rock art with the intention of providing different possible interpretations of the several panels in the region. One of them, the "White Shaman" (41-VV-124), located in Val Verde County, Texas, has been one of the most studied in the area. Some researchers have stated that the panel can be interpreted by referring to Huichol and other Mesoamerican mythologies; these interpretations are based on color symbolism and other apparent parallelisms present in the rock art. This paper introduces a new potential alternative interpretation of some iconographies based on current and in-depth ethnographic fieldwork in Mexico and the United States among different groups of Amerindians. Focused on the potential use of the color black, as well as two related iconographies in specific mythologies, this article demonstrates that detailed ethnographic information can lead researchers to find additional potential connections to the regional rock art and other contemporary Amerindian ethnicities. This research confirms some previous interpretations, and suggests new avenues of approach to the rock art of the Lower Pecos by incorporating new ethnographic information and introducing ethnologic theoretical reflections.
- Subjects
MEXICAN-American Border Region; ROCK art (Archaeology); NATIVE American mythology; BLACK; SHAMANS in art; ETHNOLOGY research; ANTHROPOLOGICAL research; INDIGENOUS art of the Americas; PEYOTISM; HUICHOL (Mexican people); LIPAN (North American people); SYMBOLISM; NATIVE American history; INDIGENOUS peoples of Mexico -- History
- Publication
Journal of Big Bend Studies, 2012, Vol 24, p253
- ISSN
1058-4617
- Publication type
Article