Lunch & Learn
Sign up for our monthly Lunch & Learn to learn about our mission, projects, and much more!

Shumla’s ultimate goal is to share our mission and the wonder of Lower Pecos rock art with as many people as possible, reaching those around the country and the world. It is with great excitement that we’d like to introduce you to Shumla’s free Lunch & Learn virtual events! Join us virtually for an hour over lunch to learn about our latest projects and research and to share in some engaging discussions. Below, you can read more about upcoming Lunch & Learn presentations for each month and register.

Scroll through some of our past Lunch & Learn presentations or visit our YouTube channel to view more Lunch & Learn and other Shumla videos.

Part 1: An Introduction to the Rock Art of the Lower Pecos

Are you new to the archaic library of murals found in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands Archaeological District? Or want a refresher? This is the Lunch and Learn for you! Jessica will introduce the region, it’s five rock art styles and key discoveries made by Shumla researchers and collaborators – complete with all the gorgeous images you’ve come to expect from Shumla. Please invite your friends who may not have heard of the Lower Pecos rock art before but would find it fascinating.

Presenter: Jessica Hamlin
Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

Click to Register

Part 2: Preserving the Oldest Known “Books” in North America

Following up on January’s introductory Lunch and Learn, in this presentation, Jessica will focus on Shumla’s work to preserve the archaic library of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. She’ll cover the forces that endanger the rock art as well as the flagship projects and cutting-edge technologies Shumla uses to preserve and share it. This is another great presentation for newbies to the rock art of the Lower Pecos.

Presenter: Jessica Hamlin
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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Karen Steelman – Rattlesnake Canyon: Shumla’s Level 2 and 3
Documentation Methods

Rattlesnake Canyon is an outstanding example of Pecos River Style paintings, one of the great global rock art traditions. These sites preserve valuable information regarding regional history and indigenous ancestral cosmovision through their iconography.

Unfortunately, during past flash floods, water has inundated the shelter floor and covered the base of the pictograph panel.

Science Director, Dr. Karen Steelman, will describe the initial work that Shumla conducted in 2014 and 2015. This talk will focus on what’s been done, what we are currently doing, and what we plan to do to preserve and study this significant painted mural.

Presenter: Karen Steelman, PhD.
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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Robert Stein – Interning with Shumla: A Firsthand Account

In this presentation, Texas State University student Robert Stein will discuss his recently completed internship with Shumla. He will cover his participation in lab and field work relating to the Hearthstone project. Robert completed graphic databases for rock art figures at multiple sites in the Lower Pecos for Hearthstone, and participated in documentation of and scouting for Pecos River Style sites.

Presenter: Robert Stein
Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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Kelsie Hart and intern Memphis Mallory – Curating Rock Art Legacy Collections  

Did you know that Shumla also curates archival collections? In addition to our digital data, we curate paper records, photographs, and maps related to rock art sites in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. These legacy collections tell the history of rock art research in the region and help us evaluate the condition of rock art sites over time.

In this presentation, Kelsie will share recent steps Shumla has taken to preserve these materials with the support of grant funding from the Texas Historical Foundation. Memphis Mallory will talk about his internship experience with Shumla this spring and what he has learned about the preservation and management of archival collections.

Through this work, Shumla is ensuring that documentation of the murals of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands will be preserved for future generations!

Presenter: Kelsie Hart, M.A. and Memphis Mallory
Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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Diana Radillo Rolón, PhD.

Details coming soon! 

Presenter: Dr. Diana Radilllo Rolón, PhD. 
Date: Wednesday, June18, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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David Keim, M.A.

Details coming soon! 

Presenter: David Keim, M.A. 
Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

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Charles Koenig – Learning from Eagle Cave: Earth Ovens and Indigenous Lifeways in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands 

For over 10,000 years, Indigenous peoples living in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands have used earth oven baking pits to cook different foods. The time-depth of use combined with the widespread occurrence of oven sites—especially the massive burned rock middens that dot the Lower Pecos landscape—demonstrate the sustained importance of earth ovens within Indigenous cultures.

Although many archaeologists emphasize the subsistence role of earth ovens, these cooking features were and continue to be integral components of social aggregations, feasting, and other aspects of cultural expression.

This talk examines the early Holocene earth oven record from Eagle Cave, Texas, through the lens of intensification and how earth oven use changed over time. Rather than being a behavioral monolith, the Eagle Cave record contains significant differences between periods of earth oven use indicating shifting cultural strategies.

This multifaceted relationship between Indigenous peoples and earth ovens at Eagle Cave provides a foundation to consider the role(s) of earth ovens in adjacent regions.

Presenter: Charles Koenig
Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
Time: Noon to 1:00 PM Central Time
Platform: Zoom

Click to Register