DRAFT
Public Use-<Restriction> Plan Review
HUECO TANKS STATE HISTORICAL PARK TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
December 1999
"Hueco Tanks State Historical Park is one of the most significant rock art sites in North America... The rich legacy of pictographs, highly diverse, the early influence from Mesoamerica, the large number of masks that were precursors to the present day Pueblo Katsina cult, and the unique geology require (Require is a strong word. Why is it required, and who decided? Such an assertion must be justified.) us to view and protect Hueco Tanks as a precious and sacred(The word "sacred" is overused by the NecroCultists. Sacredness is relative. What is sacred to one person might be profane to another) cultural resource, as important to southwestern prehistory as the Chauvet Cave in France."
Dr. Kay Sutherland, anthropologist, 1997
I. INTRODUCTION
Hueco Tanks State Historical Park (Hueco Tanks SHP) is a special place, containing meaning and importance to a variety of user groups. The park's most renowned resources, of course (not), are its hundreds of painted rock art panels. These panels, spanning a period of at least 1500 years (An instant of time compared to the 35 million year old rocks themselves) and reflecting influences from several cultural groups, are the reason that the land was designated a state park in 1970 (The designation was a mistake, and a dark day for freedom-lovers). In recognition of the uniqueness and national significance of the panels, the entire 860-acre park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
While the rock art panels are its most well known cultural resources (Hueco is best known for climbing, does that mean that the hardest, most climbable boulders in the WORLD does not constitute a "cultural resource"? I guess "culture" can't possibly include the White European Culture of Bouldering), the park is highly significant for other reasons as well. The presence of reliable water sources has made the park important to persons throughout prehistory and history.
Archeological deposits indicate that the area was visited from as early as 10,000 years ago to the present. These deposits contain surprisingly intact materials, including the remains of prehistoric houses, textiles, and food. In addition, the park is significant to many Native American groups, who view the rock art panels and the landscape as meaningful components of their heritage and history. (Yeah, well I view the rocks themselves as meaningful components of MY heritage and history, going back to 1974, so why can't I use them too? And please quit misusing the language - words mean things: look up "Native American" in any dictionary, and it clearly is defined as anyone born in America. The correct term to use is "Indian" or "descendant of aboriginies". )