Seminole Canyon and Langtry TX
Seminole Canyon and Langtry, TX
Seminole Canyon, located nine miles West of Comstock, Texas off of US 90, features petrography painted by the Natives over 4,000 years ago. When Egypt was beginning to build their pyramids, the shamans of the local Native foragers were painting their dreams onto the wall and ceilings of the shelters along this canyon.
Their favorite choice of color was red: a mixture of ochre rock, sotol or yucca juice, and deer grease. Because of the dyness and the shelter from wind and other elements, many of the petrography has survived to this day. They were painted on limestone. Their once brilliant colors have been hidden by soot and the smoke of many fires started by the natives in these shelters.
Many shamans are depicted holding an atalatl. They have either human or animal feet. Some have the head of a cougar and the antlers of a deer. Their arms are outstretched and have medicine bags hanging from their wrists. Sometimes their arms are depicted as wings.
Two plants were the shaman’s favorites for eliciting hallucinations and visions: the peyote and the datura. The peyote cult was depicted as red or black balls. Holding a plant depicted the datura cult.
A circle always depicted the entrance to the spirit world. A squiggle line shows the way. On the other side is usually a monster of some type. The monster has a lance stuck into it.
Many of the petrographs have succumbed to the elements and to the flecking of the limestone, and the ravages of man.
Tours are given daily to this petrography. Figure to spend about two hours for the tour: one and a half for the tour itself and another half-hour