The Archaeological Society of New Mexico has been promoting the recording of rock art by trained volunteers since the 1960's. It recently reorganized the administration of the program from a limited committee structure to a more broadly based council structure. The Rock Art Council is open to individuals and organizations engaged in the study and recording of rock art within New Mexico and the adjacent regions.
The Rock Art Council provides an organization and assistance to guide the rock art recording community in New Mexico. The Rock Art Council will continue to base its efforts on maintaining continuity with the past and building on the work of Col. James Bain assisted by his wife Nan, Helen and Jay Crotty, and Jean and Jerry Brody.
The goals established by the ASNM Board of Trustee's for the Rock Art Council are:
The Rock Art Council will also provide a forum to facilitate communication among its members and to operate consistently so that all the data produced by various projects can ultimately be used as if they were a single database.
Membership in the Rock Art Council is open and inclusive. All individuals and organizations engaged in the study and recording of rock art within New Mexico and the adjacent regions are encouraged to join the Rock Art Council.
The only requirements for membership are approval by the Archaeological Society of New Mexico's Board of Trustees and membership in the Archaeological Society of New Mexico.
The Rock Art Council will be administered by its members. The Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary will be recommended by the Rock Art Council and confirmed by the Archaeological Society of New Mexico's Board of Trustees.
If you are interested in participating with the Rock Art Council, please contact us and tell us about your rock art recording activities.
I am interested in participating
Every effort will be made to conduct as much of the Rock Art Council's business by email as is possible. This approach will be used so that all areas of the state and adjacent regions can work together with minimal travel.
Most business of the Rock Art Council will be conducted using email as a virtual meeting. There will be periodic physical meetings as deemed necessary by the group and our bylaws.
The following forms were agreed upon between the Mesa Prieta and Santa Fe recording projects with some input from others.
Definitions of the terms on the proposed forms. The Meta Data will be an integral part of the GIS database.
View NomenclatureRough draft of a recording guide that will serve as the basis for our efforts. There are inconsistencies in this guide as it hasn't been updated to reflect the proposed forms.
View part 1 of 3
View part 2 of 3
View part 3 of 3
Slides from the Rock Art Recording Projects of Santa Fe's April 2007 training class are available.
Reports are an essential part of the recording process. Without them out work is in vain.
Report OutlineThis outline is based upon a number of rock art reports. It has been given some review by land managers and professional archaeologists. It is intended solely as a starting point. Individual land managers may have other specific needs and requirements. Not all topics need be included and others may by necessity be added.
These forms are of particular usefulness if a site has not been recorded. However, they can easily be adapted to sites that have been recorded when the land manager doesn't want to use the photo data sheets and photos.
Process DescriptionThis process is based upon one used at China Lake, CA for detailed and frequent monitoring of the Little Pet Petroglyph Site