| binder.
A series of man-made "potholes" in rocks near the caves served as water
receptacles for mixing the paints. The colors used were red, orange, yellow,
black and white, with black and red dominating. The painting material came from
finely ground volcanic rock and other mineral earths, mixed with a binder,
possibly vegetable oil or urine. How was the paint applied? According to Campbell Grant in his book Rock Art of Baja California, application probably was made "either by finger, using the finger like a palette knife; by brush - crude brushes can be made by fraying twig ends or yucca spines; and by direct application of dry lump pigment, used as chalk." The typical cave shelter used in this region for the paintings was formed by the collapse of volcanic rock undercut by erosion. One can almost visualize the Indian painters, probably a rather exclusive group, singing lustily as they balanced on their scaffolds painting their murals. Another short, strenuous hike under a penetrating sun led to Cueva Pintada. It was first brought to attention in 1962 by Erie Stanley Gardner - a man noted for his mystery novels. A great deal of over painting was evident in this cave, and it is puzzling to wonder why the artists had so little concern for other art. Distinctive features of Pintada were the paintings of birds, curios black painted figures that may have depicted eagles but looked more like a pterodactyl. Further on, over a rocky trail was Cueva de la Soledad, or simply the Soledad. Here was another remarkable display of animal figures, with the usual black and red coloring dividing the bodies. There was an extremely rare sort of a painting on the ceiling, a checkerboard made up of yellow lines with boxes filled in with red and black paint. What did this represent? No one really knows. The proximity of palm trees around these caves made it possible to imagine how the Indians may have used them for scaffolding. Highlights of Soledad were paintings of birds, probably eagles. Other caves in this region showed murals of fish and whales. Obviously, the artists had knowledge of the sea, SEPTEMBER 1985 |
which,
in fact, is only about 60 miles away as the crow flies. Many of the animal
figures were impaled with spears or arrows, indicating that the paintings
represented hunting efforts. Our food and water supplies were becoming very short, so we decided to retreat from the mountains of the Sierra de San Francisco and make our way back to Rancho Santa Marta over the same rough trails we had traversed before. By now, we were becoming experienced muleteers and the effort did not seem quite so great. The sun, however, remained unrelenting. On the way out by van, we passed through Las Pozas. Immediately off the road in this desert was a large field covered with smallish, smooth granitic rocks. Many were decorated with petroglyphs, figures of humans, snakes, birds and other animals that had been incised and scratched out on the rock surface with no attempt to color. One figure showed a human with both male and female organs. What did this represent? No one |
seems
to know. Only the remoteness of this area and the condition of the road have
discouraged a host of souvenir collectors from invading and carting away these
wonderful art objects. The Great Murals of Baja still remain something of an enigma. We had followed in the tradition of Leon Diguet, Campbell Grant, Harry Crosby and Erie Gardner, all distinguished Baja explorers, and found the paintings and petroglyphs as mysterious and enchanting as they did. Who were the painters? Where did they come from? Why did they paint? To where did they disappear? These questions remain only partly answered and add to the mystery. James S. Bruce, FN 1968, and his wile Mayme Lou (Stevey), MN 1983, have traveled to various parts of the world to study neolithic cave art. Articles by James Bruce have appeared in The Explorers Journal since 1966. |
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