Laser Removal of Graffiti from Pictographs at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, El Paso County, Texas: A Five-Year Review

Summary

In 2009, a three phase project was initiated at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site to remove graffiti that was painted over Native American pictographs, using portable lasers. The first phase of this project tested the ability of a laser to remove graffiti from an area of rock that did not contain pictographs; this test showed that a laser could be used to remove layers of graffiti from the igneous formations at the site. In 2010, samples of graffiti paint that was not directly on the pictographs to be treated were taken and subjected to multiple laboratory tests to identify their composition. Non-invasive techniques, including X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Raman Spectroscopy, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), were used in the field to identify the composition of the pictographs themselves. These tests were also used to help identify the mineral content of the underlying rock. The resulting information was beneficial in calibrating, and testing, the lasers to distinguish rock imagery from graffiti. In 2011, lasers were used for the first time at Hueco Tanks to successfully remove graffiti from pictographs. As of 2016, after five years of monitoring, there was no evidence of negative impact resulting from this laser treatment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Contemporary Issues in Rock Art Conservation and Preservation

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15702