The Paint Rock Pictographs

The pictographs at Paint Rock are painted on a 70-foot limestone cliff set roughly 150 to 200 yards from the Concho River. The paintings are spread across about half a mile of that cliff face. The images use red, yellow, orange, black, and white pigments made from local iron oxides, carbon, and chalk. Subjects include geometric shapes, animals, human figures, and handprints. Some images appear to date back roughly 1,000 years; others show horses and mission scenes from the Spanish colonial period.

The site is privately owned. The county seat itself takes its name from these paintings. Because it is private land, you need permission to visit — do not assume public access. The Handbook of Texas (published by the Texas State Historical Association) is the best sourced summary of what is known about the site.