Big Bend National Park in Brewster County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Rock Art at Hot Springs

By Richard Denney, March 24, 2012

1. Rock Art at Hot Springs Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

When J.O. Langford homesteaded this section in 1909, he was moving into an area that had long been inhabited by native Americans. Walk this trail to view pictograph and petroglyphs created by prehistoric people hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Do not touch any surfaces containing rock art: the natural oils on your hands will cause the images to decay.

Pictographs are images painted onto rock.
Petroglyphs are images carved or pecked into rock.

Numerous red pictographs decorate the cliff face. The red coloring is a pigment made from hematite, a mineral sometimes called “red ocher”. Cinnabar, or mercury ore, was also used in this area to produce a maroon pigment. Pigments were usually mixed with a binder of blood, egg or animal fat, which made the pigment adhere to the rock surface.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Native Americans.

Location. 29° 10.676′ N, 102° 59.883′ W. Marker is in Big Bend National Park, Texas, in

By Richard Denney, March 24, 2012

2. Rock Art at Hot Springs Marker

Marker is located on the ground, near the end of the old Hot Springs motel building. Cliff face with pictographs are to the right of this picture.

Brewster County. Marker can be reached from Hot Springs Road 1½ miles from Rio Grande Village Drive, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Big Bend National Park TX 79834, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Chihuahuan Desert (approx. 2.3 miles away); Boquillas Canyon (approx. 4.6 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. Hot Springs Historic District (pdf file). National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on March 27, 2012, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas.)

2. Hot Springs (Big Bend National Park). Wikipedia (Submitted on March 27, 2012, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas.)

3. Hot Springs - Big Bend National Park. National Park Service (Submitted on March 27, 2012, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas.)

Sample photo of pictographs on cliff face image. Click for full size.

By Richard Denney, March 24, 2012

3. Sample photo of pictographs on cliff face

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2012, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. This page has been viewed 653 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2012, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.