Shumla is a global leader in rock art research and education. We use advanced science and technology in our fight to preserve the information held in the oldest “books” in North America — the endangered murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas.
Ancient Murals in the Lower Pecos Featured in Science Advances
A new study led by Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center and Texas State University shows that Pecos River style murals in southwest Texas were painted for more than 4,000 years, beginning nearly 6,000 years ago. The results make this the most securely dated rock art tradition in the Americas and reveal a deeply rooted spiritual worldview expressed through a stable visual language over hundreds of generations.
Using advanced radiocarbon dating techniques, the team produced dozens of dates from 12 mural sites, tying these extraordinary paintings to the broader archaeological and environmental record of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Their work opens a new chapter in understanding how early communities connected landscape, ceremony, and art.
Our research is adding chapters to the history of our state, our continent and the world.
Our work is preserving an untapped ancient library for future generations.
Shumla Executive Director Jessica Lee Hamlin Announces Transition
After nearly eleven years of extraordinary leadership, Jessica Lee Hamlin will be stepping down as Shumla’s Executive Director at the end of 2025. On January 1, 2026, she will begin a new chapter as President and Texas History Program Director at the Summerlee Foundation.
During her tenure, Jessica guided Shumla through a period of tremendous growth and transformation. She relocated Shumla’s headquarters to San Marcos, expanded the team, launched the Shumla Legacy Endowment, and helped shape the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan. Her dedication and vision have positioned Shumla for long-term success and sustainability.
Jessica will continue to be a lifelong advocate for Shumla’s mission and a dear friend to our team. We are deeply grateful for her leadership and the incredible legacy she leaves behind.
The Shumla Board of Directors has begun the search for our next Executive Director.
Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization working to preserve the oldest “books” in North America — the narrative murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.
What Are People Saying About Shumla?
Shumla in the Media
This article by Tamara Jager Stewart highlights how Shumla researchers, alongside collegues at Texas State University, are combining archaeological science, art analysis, and indigenous consultation to unravel the chronological order of paint application. Learn more…
Support Shumla
Shumla needs your support!
The critical unmet need that only Shumla can address is the imminent loss of these globally significant ancient paintings. Help us to digitally preserve and advance the knowledge of this unique and endangered Archaic library. The best way to support Shumla is to donate! Shumla is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. EIN: 74-2869788.
Our Story
The story of Shumla began over 4,000 years ago when the people of the Lower Pecos began to paint their myths and beliefs on the canyon walls. In 1998, we began our work to preserve and share the “library” of painted texts and the information they hold. We’re on a mission! Learn more…
Few bodies of rock art are more spectacular than the ancient Pecos River Style paintings. Appropriately, no research program in the world is more technologically sophisticated and analytically thorough than Shumla’s, which is quickly demonstrating that the Pecos corpus is one of the world’s richest and most important archaeological records. Great prehistoric art deserves the best science. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in Shumla’s research.
It is my considered opinion – after having seen rock art on all continents – that the Pecos River rock art is second to none and ranks among the top bodies of rock art anywhere in the world.
Shumla, a state-of-the-art research organization, is currently doing some of the most advanced rock art research in the world. From high-tech on-site recording methods, to expansive rock art data management capabilities, to publication of findings, Shumla is successfully preserving one of the most spectacular collections of rock art in North America and offers an unparalleled opportunity for scholars to study this art tradition now and far into the future.
“The chief export of the Lower Pecos is amazement.”
Where We Are
Shumla’s West Texas Headquarters is located in Comstock, TX, about 30 miles west of Del Rio in the center of the beautiful desert savannah region where the rock paintings are located. Though many of the ancient murals are on private land, there are some spectacular sites that are open to the public. Our partners at the The Witte Museum and Seminole Canyon State Park offer scheduled tours. You can see in this photo gallery images of our uniquely beautiful and historically significant surroundings. Shumla’s Office Headquarters is located in San Marcos, TX.
