Rock Art at Hot Springs and Pictographs -- Boquillas Hot Springs, Big Bend National Park TX
N 29° 10.678 W 102° 59.884
13R E 694674 N 3229361
Two interpretive signs at the Hot Springs pictographs discusss the settlement history of the area and the possible meaning of the pictographs found here
Waymark Code: WMV003
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2017
Views: 1
Ancient pictographs on the rock walls attest to human habitation and use of this area for many thousands of years.
Walk along the Hot Springs Trail and look up along the cliffs to see pictographs of red ochre that were left behind eons ago by ancient peoples.
Two interpretive signs reads as follows:
"PICTOGRAPHS
Look for red pictographs high on the cliff face. Accurately interpreting designs such as these is impossible, bur we can assume that some figures has symbolic meaning, perhaps representing legends and stories concerning the origin of the people who made the images, or relating to their spiritual life. Some figures may simply represent every day objects with which the artist was familiar.
How will 20th century art be interpreted in the distant future?"
"ROCK ART AT HOT SPRINGS
When J.O. Langford homesteaded this section in 1909, he was moving into an area that had long been inhabited by Native Americans. Walk this trail to view pictographs and petroglyphs created by prehistoric people hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Do not touch any of the surfaces containing rock art: the natral oils on your hands will cause the images to decay.
PICTOGRAPHS are images painted onto rock.
PETROGLYPHS are images carved or pecked into rick
Numerous red pictographs decorate the cliff face. The red coloring is a pigment made from hematite, called "red ocher". Cinnabar, or mercury ore, was also used in this area to produce a maroon pigment. Pigments were usually mixed with a binder of blood, egg, or animal fat, which made the pigment adhere to the rock surface."
Group that erected the marker: National Park Service
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Boquillas Hot Springs area
Big Bend National ParkTexas United States
|
Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.