Cueva Pintada and other sites

Cueva Pintada This image shows a portion of the famous South Gallery of Cueva Pintada. Note the monos (human figures) at the bottom of the gallery.

We look at a particular densely packed part of the panel. I think the overpainting so common in Great Mural Art has meaning and purpose. To begin to understand we need to start with simple observations of the overpainting composition.

Cueva Pintada We look at a particular densely packed part of the panel. I think the overpainting so common in Great Mural Art has meaning and purpose. To begin to understand we need to start with simple observations of the overpainting composition.

In this closeup there is a confusing mass of monos and deer superimposed. Elanie Moore has painstakingly deciphered this panel. Her drawings of it are spectacular. We will use DStretch to see a simple compositional convention: the linking of painted figures.

Cueva Pintada In this closeup there is a confusing mass of monos and deer superimposed. Elanie Moore has painstakingly deciphered this panel. Her drawings of it are spectacular. We will use DStretch to see a simple compositional convention: the linking of painted figures.

CRGB brings out the red parts of the figures. It shows the monos behind the deer and some red details of the deer. This part of the panel can now be seen as a continuation of a line of monos, linked by overlapping arms, that crosses the whole South Gallery. See slide 2.

Cueva Pintada CRGB brings out the red parts of the figures. It shows the monos behind the deer and some red details of the deer. This part of the panel can now be seen as a continuation of a line of monos, linked by overlapping arms, that crosses the whole South Gallery. See slide 2.

Cueva Pintada YBK brings out some details of the black figures.

Closeup of a striking Pintada panel. A male black deer facing left with yellow body is superimposed over a female black deer facing right. A red figure overlays the female deer.

Cueva Pintada Closeup of a striking Pintada panel. A male black deer facing left with yellow body is superimposed over a female black deer facing right. A red figure overlays the female deer.

Cueva Pintada The CRGB enhancement brings out the red figure.

Cueva Pintada LAB gives a good overall enhancement.

Cueva Soledad Cueva Soledad is a nearby cave not so well preserved as Cueva Pintada. Overpainting is common here as well.

CRGB helps to show the monos a little better, or at least the red parts of them. We can see that this cave has two lines (one above, one below) of linked monos. The one above is linked by arms, the one below is linked by arms and in some places by monos above.

Cueva Soledad CRGB helps to show the monos a little better, or at least the red parts of them. We can see that this cave has two lines (one above, one below) of linked monos. The one above is linked by arms, the one below is linked by arms and in some places by monos above.

Cueva Soledad In this LAB enhancement I have numbered the lower and upper lines of monos. All are linked in some way to the others, except for L1.

Cueva Soledad A closeup of some central Soledad figures.

Using CRGB we see that there is a mono behind the deer and the mono is linked by overlapping arms to ones on the left (black arm) and right (red arm).

Cueva Soledad Using CRGB we see that there is a mono behind the deer and the mono is linked by overlapping arms to ones on the left (black arm) and right (red arm).

Cueva Soledad Near Soledad is another cave with faint smudges on its walls.

Cueva Soledad CRGB enhancement brings out the mono nicely. It is on faint red pictographs like this that DStretch really does well. Cueva Boca San Julio. About a mile from Cueva Pintada. Linked large and small deer dominate this site.

Cueva Boca de San Julio Cueva Boca San Julio. About a mile from Cueva Pintada. Linked large and small deer dominate this site.

Cueva Boca de San Julio YDS enhancement.

Cueva Boca de San Julio To bring out the mono behind the deer I took the previous enhancement and shifted the hues by 106 degrees.

Cueva Boca de San Julio Cueva Boca San Julio, area to the right of the previous slide.

Cueva Boca de San Julio Here I use RGB0 to enhance details, like the two fish and long dotted lines inside the deer.

On our way back to San Diego we stopped at the site of Mission San Fernando. There are interesting petroglyphs (like this ship, which I have doubts about) and pictographs on a nearby cliff.

Near Mission San Fernando Velicata On our way back to San Diego we stopped at the site of Mission San Fernando. There are interesting petroglyphs (like this ship, which I have doubts about) and pictographs on a nearby cliff.

Near Mission San Fernando Velicata A pictograph panel at Mission San Fernando.

Near Mission San Fernando Velicata CRGB enhancement brings out the faint images. Last slide.