Text and photos by Kara Nichols
The Edwards Plateau Research Group’ Paint Rock Project is a collaboration between Native American communities and curious archaeologists. Since the first dig in 2021, its goal for a communal-based study of archaeology has expanded to inviting Native American families to get their hands into the dirt and offer their own traditional commentary on the interpretation of artifacts. Created out of the desire to properly include the Native American perspective in the study of the Indigenous anthropological footprint in West Texas, Edwards Plateau has paved a new approach to archaeology today. The group has curated a co-operational manner of learning that does not always flourish in other excavation efforts.
In a pre-dig interview, Jeremy Elliott, an associate professor of English at Abilene Christian University and one of Edward Plateau’s founders, revealed the origins of the project and its inclusive structure, as well as what to expect for the direction of the 2026 dig. According to Elliott, uncovering the truth behind Paint Rock requires an interdisciplinary force. There are many layers to Edwards Plateau’s learning method, which calls for contributions from individuals across academic fields. To simply label it as an education, history or science project would restrain the root of its objective. Even the study of the rock art images exceeds art history, instead requiring additional expertise in astronomy, anthropology and even math. It is a collective effort, and one that ultimately needs the Indigenous perspective to be successful. The Research Group’s primary goal for Paint Rock has always been to work hand-in-hand with the Indigenous community in the excavation and interpretation of the site. Elliott emphasized that the field of archaeology accomplishes more with this partnership, as the Indigenous community brings the traditional practices and stories that are central for understanding the original purpose of the site.
Around 8:30 a.m. on March 18, 2026 at the check-in station, Eric Schroeder expanded on that same intention. As the head archaeologist of the project with a doctorate in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin and an Army veteran with 34 years in the reserves as a colonel, Schroeder has been involved with a range of archaeological sites. He said that in contrast to past experiences, one remarkable difference about this present endeavor was in the initial planning of working on Indigenous lands. He explained how normally when archaeologists are planning to work on these properties, they bring in a travel monitor, a professional individual to act as a middleman to navigate the Indigenous boundaries for what the archaeologists can and can’t do on the land. That is not the case with Paint Rock. As Schroeder explained, the Edwards Plateau Research Group went directly to Indigenous voices early on in the planning process and immediately asked members how they would prefer to execute the excavation. From the first steps, Edwards Plateau acknowledged that the desired archaeological outcome could not be achieved without direct Indigenous input.
It was not long before the first morning meeting was called and the group circled up to hear announcements and the various activities for the day from Elliott, Schroeder and Kelton Sheridan, fellow dig director who received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. The circle was a sight to see in the cool of a West Texas morning. Here were a handful of professionally trained archaeologists, intertwined with families and student volunteers with no previous field experience. They stood together as companions with an equal purpose: to learn. As Elliott told the group, “There’s nothing going on here that you can’t be involved with.” After a morning prayer blessing the day, we dispersed for our first excursions.
In our pre-dig meeting, Elliott informed me that one of the exciting events at Paint Rock this year would be a survey of previously unexplored land on the north end of the property. These 1500 acres were for sale and being sought out by a few different Indigenous groups. For those of us who loaded up in the trucks to drive along US 83 toward the north side, our task would be to scope the ground for any abnormal land features such as those discovered on the main site, where trenches were currently being shoveled. We hit the road with Mary Weahkee, a member of the Comanche tribe with an extensive background in archaeology. She told us to be mindful of mesquite and cactus as we headed towards the history that waited in the untouched field.
The plan was to station a person every 15 yards and walk as a group for six miles south, scouring for any piece of land that looked promising for pre-historic human activity. We each snatched some pink pin flags to mark anything we believed fit the historical definition that Weahkee provided. If anything is at least 50 years old it is considered a historical artifact. As we slowly made the stretch across the land, a quiet wind threaded its way through the yucca leaves, inciting a reverence that could be felt as soon as the gate to the property was first opened. This was land that had been walked upon in the pre-historic age, now being re-visited by the descendants of its original inhabitants. Before the weight of that thought had enough time to sink in, voices crying out that they had found something broke through the deferential silence.
Weahkee and Schroeder arrived to inspect the specific spot and potentially document the findings. After a little investigation of the formation of rocks in a circle, it was confirmed that this sedentary arrangement was a former tipi. As Schroeder worked on documenting the data with his field iPad, Weahkee offered insight into the mechanisms of the refuge. Tipis were made with passive solar designs; in the summer they would remain cool as the sun lay overhead, and warm in the winter as the sun shot directly into the tent. The supporting rocks were also heated in order to keep the tent at a cozy temperature. This feature was only the first among several distinct marks of activity within the roughly 30 feet that we had walked.
Once Weahkee’s eyes were properly adjusted, she could detect others nearby, even a makeshift horse corral which was denoted by the bare spot of land – a typical give away. Her gaze was incredible as she surveyed the land through the lens of the knowledge passed down through the stories of her people. As a Comanche, Weahkee understood exactly what would have gone down at this scene. Women grinding stone next to the tipis, children taking care of the horses, a whole campsite within a range of 50 meters. It was not long before her name was called from all directions to come examine this stone or this barren spot. Her breadth of knowledge could not be wasted.
Just as Weahkee was analyzing a water pit for horses, it was time to head back to the main site for lunch. As we made our return through the fateful gate that bordered on secrets of the past, I caught up with some survey volunteers to catch their thoughts on the significance of the Paint Rock Project. Junior Guerrero and his sister, Jessica, and their families were returning attendees to Paint Rock who were satisfied with the non-destructive technology used to study the site. Contrasting the Paint Rock Project with other archaeological efforts centered on Indigenous lands, Junior commented, “The difference is scientific perspective. Now we are learning and being taught how to identify. Now, we’re not guessing what’s underground. We are learning the techniques in a less invasive way.”
The preservation of artifacts along with the respect for culture and tradition are notable characteristics of Edwards Plateau’s study strategy. Furthermore, the invitation to Indigenous families to experience that process and even play a part in its development is a remarkable standout. The next day when I caught up with Junior and his wife, Mindy, at the rest tents, he elaborated on the spectacle of the survey. “Most places you would never be able to be a part of a survey team,” He said. With regard to the opportunity the Paint Rock Project provides for his children, he explained, “[We] believe in our generations. We don’t really care about ourselves, it’s more about the future…[Paint Rock] is documenting history to children.” Through this extended invitation to families, Indigenous children are offered the opportunity to engage in an experiential form of learning about their culture while simultaneously inheriting the tools to continue the transmission of that history to the next generation.
After lunch, I opted for one of the educational outlets. Today, Jeremy Elliott was leading the site walk along the bluff that is sporadically painted with scenes that are central to Native American mythology. These religious depictions contain instances of the divine, illustrating the foundations of Native American spirituality. One of the first paintings Elliott examined for us was the Changing Woman. High up in the crevice of the bluffs, a red silhouette of a woman can be seen on the far left of a long limestone panel. She has been drawn horizontally with a small hand in a lighter shade of red sticking out on either side of her abdomen. Dark red paint is dripping from her lower half. She is giving birth to the Hero Twins, figures that have been featured across Indigenous mythical narratives including the Navajo and Maya. Based on the dark red of her paint, she has died in childbirth. As a solar interactive painting, both the conception and birth of the twins are observed in synergy with the sun on Equinox and Winter Solstice. It is a precise painting among thousands of other pictographs that have been designed with the same intricacy that testifies to the grandeur and mystery of Paint Rock.
Neighboring paintings consisted of similar religious themes visualizing common Indigenous spiritual beliefs. The paintings were diverse in size, with some scenes spread across the full length of about a six-foot limestone backdrop. There was a creation scene with figures emanating from the Earth. Other illustrations occurred on a smaller scale, with specific symbolic images, including a water drum with a deer’s heart that is pierced by a ray of the sun on Winter Solstice. Another panel acted as a direct message for future generations travelling through the land.
Elliott recalled that how there was initial confusion about the interpretation of this panel, which led to his meeting Mary Weahkee, who was able to translate the inscription from its original language as an incomplete sentence. It was a message of departure from the original writers; the rest of the message was inscribed on an associate rock to the right where a depiction of a canoe signaled how they were planning to depart. Although the ink of these images is thousands of years old, it is still fresh and the meanings are still open to interpretation, hence the need for Indigenous input which varies across tribal traditions. Regardless of definition, the essence of these paintings remains alive as its striking red dye endures the generations and its spirituality is resurrected through each solar interaction.
Following the site walk, it was not long before it was time to pack up the tools and head back to the ranch for an official post-first day dinner. The afternoon concluded with a circling up that was similar to that of the morning, only this time the archaeologists were to share their discoveries of the day. As the group was still gathering, I caught up with Alexandra Younger, a registered professional archaeologist who has been involved with the field for 15 years. On the motivation behind the Paint Rock Project, she said, “We are not doing this for regulatory purposes, we are doing this because it’s the ethical thing to do.” Excavating Paint Rock is rooted in the desire to strengthen studies in Indigenous history and practices that filter into a healthy collaboration between the archaeological and Indigenous communities.
The archaeologists shared updates for each of their tents. Accomplishments included making progress on digging the trenches for excavation. Among the most exciting discoveries was the survey team’s discovery of a grave out on the north field. They came into contact with it on their second excursion after lunch and identified it as a non-Indigenous burial based on its marking of a Christian cross. Sheridan explained the team’s desire to establish a new tradition of finishing each work day with comments from participants on what their favorite part was. Following the pattern of the circle, we each contributed what personally made this first day special. Highs from both archaeologists and volunteers were working alongside one another and the amicable atmosphere that was present across the site. There was a strong emphasis on the community aspect of the day and the welcomed opportunity to jump in on projects with little or no prior excavation experience. Similar to the positive energy that kick-started the day with the morning gathering, we closed in a manner that signified the real achievement of the work done at Paint Rock. With that optimism in our back pockets, we loaded up transportation to wash up for dinner and do it all over again the next day.
Day two began the same way. We arrived early to share breakfast before a morning congregation that concluded with a prayer, this time in the Comanche language. Today looked a little different: there was an opportunity to travel a couple hours away to a private property in Stephens County to look at another rock art panel. There were 20 spots available, and fourth and fifth graders from the Comanche Charter School arrived for an exciting field trip. Paint Rock also had another special visitor: Comanche Chairman Forrest Tahdooahnippah.
I began the morning by tagging along on the botany walk led by Anna Deshotels, who holds a BA in anthropology from Texas Tech University and is currently working on her master’s thesis on Comanche ethnobotany at the same institution. As a plant specialist, she led us through the site, pointing out different flora local to the region and their diverse traditional uses, including treatments for heart conditions and syphilis. There was one area of growth that Deshotels specifically noted as not regional. It was the tobacco growing in front of the rock art that Elliott had shared with us the day before. As Deshotels specified, “No native tobacco here, so this is 100 percent brought as an offering.” This was yet another example of where the past melded with present in the leftover traces of the people who walked this land thousands of years ago.
On the return for the lunch hour, I caught up with Chief of the Peoples and Secretary for Education, Training and Research for the State of Coahuila Gary Perez for his opinion on the working partnership between the Indigenous communities and archaeologists at Paint Rock. Perez is at the forefront of bringing people together. On the particular community of Paint Rock, he stated, “This is a place where all different people converge. We are converging again.” Perez stressed the humanity that is being restored at Paint Rock through inviting several tribes to work together with the archaeologists. As the land was originally a meeting place among traveling tribes, the Paint Rock project offers the opportunity to recreate that merging of peoples through its invitations to several Indigenous communities.
The rest of the day followed a schedule similar to the one before. After assembling for lunch, the team re-dispersed into work groups for another hard afternoon’s dig. I visited a few of the excavation tents to note the progress since yesterday and observe the working relationship between beginners and seasoned hands in action. My first two stops were at the tents Bryan Jameson and Carol Macaulay were leading. They were both working on what they believed to be thermal features, based on finding rocks that released a strong sulfur smell when cracked. Bryan made sure to snatch a rock from the already hefty pile and break it for me to smell. Their groups had both made progress in uncovering the rock formations they hypothesized as cooking inventions.
As I inspected the smooth top of the freshly brushed stone, I spoke with one of Carol’s helping companions at the tent, Rachel Keen. Rachel was returning to Paint Rock with her family from Oklahoma. They are members of the Comanche tribe and were introduced to the project through Rachel’s cousin, Mary Weahkee. This was her third year at Paint Rock and she stated that the archaeological revelations encountered here were ongoing. On the continuation of discovery at the site she said, “Every year we find something more, find something different.”
Over at Bryan’s tent, he affirmed that thought as he attributed the never-ending accumulation of knowledge at Paint Rock to the mastery of the original constructors. “They built stuff to last.”
My time at Paint Rock concluded with a memorable third morning in San Angelo, where the team met up with members of the Pakahua Coahuiltecos in San Angelo for an Equinox sunrise ceremony. About 30 minutes from the site, our morning gathering for that day took place in the dark before dawn. This was a particularly honorable event, as the representative of the governance for the Indigenous and Afro-American People for the State of Coahuila, Kec Pa’l Gutierrez or “Happy,” was visiting from Mexico. The ceremony began with the children bringing flowers to Matilde Torres, wife of Gary Perez, to honor their matriarchal figure. We then walked down the road to watch the sun rise. As the first rays peaked through a gap in the hills, a chorus of tribal calls and singing in traditional Comanche arose. It was a powerful outcry of emotion to welcome the new season. Sage was brought and attendees were invited to come forward and wave the smoke over themselves for blessing.
The experience of Paint Rock is marked by its preservation of cultural values. Throughout my days of observation, I witnessed a remarkable exchange of knowledge that profited from a genuine respect for alternative perspectives among the Indigenous and archaeology communities. As Gary Perez mentioned, this land was historically a blending ground, and to reignite that conglomeration through its anthropological study is an homage to the true spirit of this land. That fellowship culminated in the sunrise ceremony, where archaeologists, students and members of various Indigenous tribes embraced the light of the new season as friends. That camaraderie is the heart of the Paint Rock project.
In addition to the communal success of the project, the research group made valuable advancements in its study of the pictographs. In a post-dig conversation, I spoke on the phone with Kelsey Hanson, an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Texas at Arlington. Hanson visited the site a week after the dig. Accompanied by her colleagues, Brandi MacDonald, Andrea Kay and Christopher Goodmaster, she employed a variety of non-destructive technologies to identify elements in the rock art’s paint. They applied three techniques. As Hanson explained, “X-ray fluorescence for elemental data, Raman spectroscopy for mineral structure and processing, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for organic and inorganic compounds.” Primary results revealed beeswax as one of the secret ingredients used as an organic binder to glue the paint to the surface for thousands of years. This singular element is another of many aspects that makes Paint Rock stand out; Hanson informed us that beeswax is not as common a binder as pine sap or even bear fat for rock art. With regard to how this work furthers the study of Paint Rock, Hanson said, “Understanding what it’s made of helps us understand how to preserve it better; care for it better.” Moreover, better care leads to better access for Indigenous communities, more dimension[s] of connection for communities to this place today.”
The 2026 Edwards Plateau Research Group’s excavation of Paint Rock was another richly productive archaeological effort in its celebration of learning, tradition and cultural heritage. With significant growth in its efforts, from the application of state-of-the-art technology to the large number of participants, the Paint Rock Project remains grounded as a people-based effort that thrives on the incorporation of diverse outlooks. It is because of its dedication to build relationships through research that the Paint Rock Project persists as a standout among excavation efforts in anthropology today.
Kara Nichols is a graduate from Abilene Christian University with a BA in English. She is a former newswriter for the student newspaper, The Optimist.