Curiosity, Conflict and Contact Period Rock Art of the Northern Frontier, Mexico and Texas in Berraljalbiz, F (editor) La vitalidad de las voces indígenas: arte rupestre del contacto y en sociedades coloniales, UNAM 2016.

The ripple effect of Spanish Colonial expansion northward to the Rio Grande was first expressed by the indigenous people in rock art panels displaying curiosity about imported traits, such as domestic animals, clothing, and permanent architecture. Depictions of violence and conflict increased, becoming a unifying theme for artistically disparate pictographs and petroglyphs. Acquisition of the horse and exigencies of warfare are reflected in panels found near water sources and defensi-ble sites. The competence of the artists and their choice of medium varied widely but the core values were personal valor and success in combat. Sometime after A.D. 1700, the characteristic Plains Indian style replaced local forms while retaining the emphasis on individualistic bravery, aggression and conflict. The Spanish military responded with written names and accounts of their victories. After the disruption of native culture, religious iconography became the dominant theme.