Atlatls in Lower Pecos Rock Art

Atlatls in Lower Pecos Rock Art

By Charles Koenig
One of humanity’s oldest weapon systems is the atlatl, or spear thrower. The atlatl functions as a lever to throw a dart (or spear) with greater speed, distance, and accuracy than a hand-thrown spear. Atlatls were used by humans as early as 20,000 ago, …

Documenting Satan Canyon Gallery: A Tale of Two Interns

Documenting Satan Canyon Gallery: A Tale of Two Interns

By Hailey LaRock & Caitlin Houle
Hi Shumla friends, Hailey and Caitlin here! We’re the 2018 Shumla archaeological interns, and we wanted to share our experience documenting an incredible rock art site called Satan Canyon Gallery. Satan Canyon Gallery is located near the Devils River, …

Variation of Pecos River Style Antlered Anthropomorphs

Variation of Pecos River Style Antlered Anthropomorphs

By Charles Koenig and Amanda Castañeda
Over the course of the Alexandria Project, one of our primary objectives is to identify repeated rock art attributes, figures, and/or motifs. As explained in the Iconographic Inventory blog, we’re recording a limited number …

To Iconography… And Beyond!

To Iconography… And Beyond!

By Amanda Castañeda and Charles Koenig
This blog post focuses on a key aspect of Shumla’s documentation methods and the Alexandria Project: iconography. Iconography includes the documentation, study, and interpretation of images and symbols. Archaeologists working …