Periods in Pecos Style Pictographs

Abstract

Abstract Relative chronology is found in the paintings in twelve Texas rock shelters which have Pecos Style pictographs. Three periods are defined within the Pecos Style. The earliest period comprises large-scale polychrome paintings emphasizing fishing subjects, suggesting a rivercentered life. The second period comprises slightly smaller-scale polychrome paintings in which deer first appear and become progressively more common. Fishermen still appear but tend to be smaller and more geometrically elaborate. The last period shows fewer paintings. They are very small, monochrome, and concentrate on deer and new figure types. These periods merge into each other. They appear to reflect an Archaic Desert Culture whose art began as the expression of a riverine ceremonial cult and changed toward a personal expression centered on deerhunting.

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