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San Diego Rock Art Association Virtual Meeting
Sunday, August 11, 2024, 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Slithering…
Horned and Crested Serpents in Jornada Mogollon and Mimbres Iconography
A Presentation by
Margaret Berrier
Horned, crested, and feathered serpents have been documented throughout North America. Schaafsma states that “horned, and sometimes feathered” serpents are less frequent in the Jornada Mogollon rock imagery and that their distribution is mostly in the vicinity of El Paso. Several authors have suggested this figure has an affinity with the Mexican deity Quetzalcoatl, and state that these are “signature images” of the Jornada Mogollon style. This overview of these figures in Jornada Mogollon rock imagery and in Mogollon and Mimbres ceramics documents their distribution beyond the vicinity of El Paso (but still in the Jornada Mogollon Region) and shows that none of the images have feathers. The imagery includes a few striking examples but overall the number of horned and crested serpents is incidental rather than significant, suggesting that horned and crested snakes may not qualify as a signature image of the Jornada Mogollon.
Margaret Berrier has researched, recorded, and photographed rock art sites in the west and in other countries since 1986. She has concentrated her efforts on the documentation and study of rock imagery in southern New Mexico and west Texas and uses her graphic skills to illustrate her own as well as other researchers' publications and presentations. In 2021 she received a grant from the New Mexico Site Steward program for her free educational Three Rivers Coloring Book. Margaret received ARARA's Castleton Award in 2017, the Archaeological Society of New Mexico's Brice Award in 2018, and Associate of the Year 2021 for the Jornada Research Institute. She served on the ARARA Board from 2021 to 2023 and won their Wellmann Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2023.
This meeting will be held via Zoom
August 11, 2024, Starting at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Meeting room will open approximately 15 minutes early
Free Registration Required
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