The November members' meeting of the Houston Archeological Society will be virtual only, as our speaker is working in the El Paso area. We are thrilled to have archeologist Amanda Castaneda of the Shumla Archeological Research and Education Center give us a presentation on the Rattlesnake Pictograph Preservation Project.

Based in Comstock, Texas, Shumla documents, studies, and preserves ancient pictographs in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.  In 2025, SHUMLA began working on a multi-year initiative, the Rattlesnake Canyon Pictograph Preservation Project, to document four highly threatened rock art sites in Val Verde County. The sites in this canyon are at severe risk of deterioration due to sporadic flooding events that have already impacted, and will continue to impact, the imagery. Flanking the well-known Rattlesnake Canyon Site are three additional pictograph sites that were undoubtedly part of a significant gallery running the length of the canyon. This presentation summarizes their recent work on this project and discusses various rock art recording methods that can be used depending on preservation level, research potential, and project goals

Amanda’s area of expertise is in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas and the majority of her research has been on rock art and ground stone bedrock feature technology. She worked for the Ancient Southwest Texas project and Shumla Archaeological Research Center.  She is currently a contract researcher for the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and Sacred Sites Research, Inc. Her recent focus has been on Plains rock art, working at several sites in Wyoming, Montana, and Utah.

Amanda is a native Texan and has worked primarily in west Texas with research focus on rock art and ground stone technology. She received her B.S. and M.A. from Texas State University in San Marcos and spent the first 10 years of her career working with both the Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center and the Ancient Southwest Texas Project - Texas State University. She moved to Wyoming for a 4-year stint and worked at various rock art sites across the Rocky Mountains and Plains but is thrilled to be back in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas.

For more information about this program or about the Houston Archeological Society, please contact Bob Sewell at president@txhas.org.

HAS JOURNAL 144 NOW AVAILABLE

HAS Journal No. 144 is now available. The Journal Number 144 The articles will focus on the San Felipe de Austin Dig by John Lohse, Horseshoes in Texas, a Thimble from the 18th or 19th century from France found in Frosttown, and another article about Camp Kirby in Dickenson, TX, a civil war camp by Charly Gordy, ceramics from Cottonfield by Tim Perttula, and information from Mike Woods about a Butted Knife Found in Comal County. Complimentary copies may be obtained by HAS members at the monthly meetings. Non-HAS members may purchase copies through Amazon.com. Go to the HAS Journals Section for a link to the publication on the Amazon.com website. Alternatively, copies may be purchased at the HAS Monthly Meetings.

To learn more about the history behind our archeological society contact president@txhas.org.