Several years ago I read about a very interesting pictograph at Hueco Tanks State Park. I had no reservations, but dropped by and scored a site for the night.
These rock formations were created 34-38 million years ago when a plume of magma rose toward the surface only to be stopped by a layer of limestone, the remnant of an ancient sea bed. Over millions of years the limestone cap was eroded away revealing the much harder igneous rock.
In 1898 Silverio Escontrias built this small adobe home here and began ranching. He and his wife raised 11 children and lived here until 1956.
But the Escontrias family were Johnny come lately interlopers. 10,000 years ago this was a wetter, lusher environment when the first Paleo Indians settled the area.
The park offers a ranger lead hike to view some of the pictographs.
Nicole explaining the 11-12 inch deep mortar holes. How many generations of paleo women sat here grounding Mesquite beans to create holes this deep?
Early settlers scratched their names right over timeless red ocher pictographs.
This is one of the ponds that fills with water during the wet season. Hueco is Spanish for hollows. Hueco Tanks refers to the multitude of water holding depressions in the borders and rock faces. There is always water available here for the rich assortment of wildlife living here.
It is amazing that the pigments the Paleo Indians used have lasted for thousands of years.
This is the pictograph I came to see.
It is so unique. I have seen hundreds of pictographs and petroglyphs, but nothing like this. Nicole thinks the rare green pigment was created from turquoise.
