Rock Art Research

The Cowhead Mesa petroglyphs hold insights into Historic Native American and Anglo-American culture for the Southern Plains region of North America. To preserve this history, a combination of 3-D long-range laser scanning and high-resolution digital photography has been used to record one large main panel 21 m long and nine smaller panels. Separating Native American motifs from the background noise of Historic and modern graffiti has revealed that the main panel is a combination of both ‘Plains biographical’ and ‘Southwestern’ symbolism. The methodology and the advantages and disadvantages of using laser scanning for recording petroglyphs are explored.