‘Impressions in Stone’: Exploring Texas’ Oldest Art and the Land It Lives On

Texas is a state built on land — measured, bought, sold, and passed down for generations. But some of its most valuable stories were never written into records. They were painted onto stone.

In the canyons of the Lower Pecos Valley, ancient murals — some dating back as far as 6,000 years — span limestone walls using mineral pigments ground from the land itself. These works are now understood as the oldest “books” in North America. Remarkably, most of them still exist on private property in West Texas.

That revelation is at the heart of Impressions in Stone, a two-part Fireside Chat series moderated by CandysDirt.com publisher Candy Evans. The conversations bring together Jessica Hamlin, President of the Summerlee Foundation, and Caroline Im, Director of Gems & Minerals at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. The series kicks off January 21 at Texas Counter Fitters — a space that, with its monumental slabs, feels like a fitting backdrop for a discussion about stone as both material and message.

“This may be one of the most incredible real estate stories ever,” says Evans.

“Can you imagine owning land and discovering that one of the oldest libraries in North America is painted on your canyon walls?”

For Hamlin, who has spent years immersed in Texas history and preservation, the power of the art lies in both its scale and its intention. “These aren’t casual images,” she explains. “They were carefully planned, painted in a specific order, using pigments sourced from the surrounding landscape. They function as books — rule-governed, layered, and meant to be read by people who understood the stories.”

Some murals stretch more than 100 feet long. Others use the natural contours of the limestone itself to shape animals, human figures, and deities. Black pigment was applied first, followed by red, yellow, and white, each layer carrying meaning. Many works align with solstices, equinoxes, and celestial events, revealing a sophisticated understanding of time, place, and cosmology.

“The technical knowledge is extraordinary, from identifying the right minerals to refining pigments and binding them so they permanently fuse with limestone,” says Im. “This was a deep understanding of material science, long before we had words for it.”

What makes the Lower Pecos story especially complex — and compelling — is where this art exists. Nearly 95 percent of known sites are located on private land, much of it passed down through ranching families. Many landowners, says Hamlin, never realized the global significance of their property.

“There’s a lot of turnover right now. Land is being sold for recreational or hunting use, adding urgency to questions of stewardship and access.”

That alone reframes the entire conversation, adds Evans.

“This isn’t just an archaeology story. It’s a land and stewardship story. A real estate story.”

The Fireside Chat setting reinforces that connection. Surrounded by towering slabs at Texas Counter Fitters’ Richardson showroom, the conversation unfolds in a place where geology is already on display. “You’re standing among materials that took millions of years to form while learning about art created thousands of years ago,” Im notes. “It collapses time in a powerful way.”

Together, the two sessions trace humanity’s earliest relationship with stone. Using Stone as Canvas (Wednesday, Jan. 21) explores how ancient cultures in the Lower Pecos Valley transformed limestone walls into some of the oldest “books” in North America. Using Stone to Create Art (Feb. 25) shifts to the materials themselves, examining how raw minerals became enduring pigments that continue to influence art, architecture, and design today.

For Evans, the takeaway lands squarely where CandysDirt.com readers live — at the intersection of place and value.

“It’s a reminder that not all value shows up on a listing,” she says. “Some of the most important stories in Texas are already written on the land.”

What: Impressions in Stone, Reimagining the Earth’s Oldest Medium

When: Jan. 21 and Feb. 25, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Where: Texas Counter Fitters, 909 N. Bowser Rd., Richardson TX

RSVP (Admission is free, but reservations are requested): impressionsinstone.eventbrite.com