The region around the confluence of the Pecos River and the Rio Grande in south Texas is one of dry, rugged canyons and scenic vistas. Preserved on the limestone cliffs and many caves is a legacy of human history that goes back at least 11,000 years. The magnificent polychrome pictographs, panels, and murals here rival any in the world, though they are so remote that they are seldom seen by anyone but the most dedicated visitors. A comprehensive collection of well-preserved artifacts is found in the dry caves and rock overhangs, including baskets, mats, and other woven objects as well as stone tools and bones. Items that ordinarily perish quickly, like food remains and human excrement, are also commonly found. Altogether, this is a remarkable archaeological record of an ancient people.
Harry Shaffer, a noted professor emeritus at Texas A&M University, has assembled this collection of observations by 14 scholars, three artists, and several photographers. The essays explore the daily lives, social relations, and environment of these early inhabitants. Painters in Prehistory is beautifully illustrated with dozens of color images of the stunning pictographs including the remarkable White Shaman. Artifacts from the region are also well represented, mainly from the collections of the Witte Museum at Trinity College in San Antonio, which helped produce this volume.
The Pecos Canyonlands has produced remarkable assemblages of art and material remains that are unrivaled anywhere in North America, and Painters in Prehistory does an admirable job of bringing this very remote area to the reader. Sadly, those well-preserved paintings and artifacts that have stood the ravages of time so well are a target for vandals and looters who have decimated the archaeological record. Damming the Rio Grande at Amistad flooded many sites, and the border drug wars have severely limited research on the Mexican side of the river. This national treasure deserves better, and Painters of Prehistory makes the case for protection and preservation in the strongest possible way. —Mark Michel