# Does the mural express beliefs that later Mesoamerican peoples inherited from the Archaic Lower Pecos? · White Shaman Mural > Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible. Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-28T20:07:25+00:00 --- **0** # Does the mural express beliefs that later Mesoamerican peoples inherited from the Archaic Lower Pecos? Asked 28 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·4 answers·0·0 following **Four answers, none ahead** None is ahead yet. See what would settle it. ## Where it stands Four answers have been proposed. None is ahead on the evidence yet. Four are still possible. ## Why it matters Boyd and her colleagues argue that Pecos River murals are the oldest surviving expression of a core cosmovision later found among the Aztec and the Huichol; the argument rests on analogy across thousands of years and hundreds of kilometres, which critics find suggestive but unproven⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKG27FGC74/mapping-the-chronology-of-an-ancient-cosmovision-4000-years)⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGQ0DGQBH/the-lack-of-creativity-in-pre-columbian-art-the-impact-of)⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGCG9HV00/reading-the-white-shaman-mural). ## Answers 4 [**Diffusion northward: Pecos painters imitated Mesoamerican ceremonial art** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/answers/ANS0DCKQV6208JK/diffusion-northward-pecos-painters-imitated-mesoamerican) None Evidence: 1 against Still possible [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/answers/ANS0DCKQVR5KV9W/none-of-these) None Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The parallels are not shown to be inheritance** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/answers/ANS0DCKQTSD94WC/the-parallels-are-not-shown-to-be-inheritance) None Evidence: 1 for, 1 against Still possible [**Yes: the oldest surviving expression of a core Mesoamerican cosmovision** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/answers/ANS0DCKQT97TA3A/yes-the-oldest-surviving-expression-of-a-core-mesoamerican) From its member answers Evidence: 2 for, 1 against Still possible ## What would settle it 1. Read Tate's 2022 chapter on the Lower Pecos as Chicomoztoc and Kelley 1974, and list the specific motif sets claimed to pass from Pecos River art into Mesoamerican imagery, with dates for each side. ## History 1. 2016[Boyd & Cox: detailed correspondences with Aztec and Huichol cosmology](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGBQZHPQM/the-white-shaman-mural-an-enduring-creation-narrative-in-the)For: Yes: the oldest surviving expression of a core Mesoamerican cosmovision 1. 2017[Powell: outside specialists find the reading persuasive](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGCG9HV00/reading-the-white-shaman-mural)Against: The parallels are not shown to be inheritance 1. 2017[Powell: specialists call the links provocative but not conclusive](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGCG9HV00/reading-the-white-shaman-mural)For: The parallels are not shown to be inheritance 1. 2022[Farmer: no archaeological trace of Mesoamerica in the Pecos area, and a stylistic gap](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGQ0DGQBH/the-lack-of-creativity-in-pre-columbian-art-the-impact-of)Against: Yes: the oldest surviving expression of a core Mesoamerican cosmovision 1. 2022[Farmer: specialists call the links provocative but not conclusive](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGQ0DGQBH/the-lack-of-creativity-in-pre-columbian-art-the-impact-of)For: The parallels are not shown to be inheritance 1. 2025[Steelman et al.: four thousand years of stable rules and motifs in Pecos River painting](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKG27FGC74/mapping-the-chronology-of-an-ancient-cosmovision-4000-years)For: Yes: the oldest surviving expression of a core Mesoamerican cosmovision 1. 2025[Whitley: outside specialists find the reading persuasive](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKGD6CVA3M/unlocking-the-secrets-of-ancient-texas-cave-paintings)Against: The parallels are not shown to be inheritance 1. 2025[Steelman et al.: pecos River style began 5760 to 5385 cal BP, long before the art it was said to copy](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0DCKG27FGC74/mapping-the-chronology-of-an-ancient-cosmovision-4000-years)Against: Diffusion northward: Pecos painters imitated Mesoamerican ceremonial art 1. Oct 2026[Session 1: raised the question, proposed three answers and found two results bearing on its answers](https://mysteriesdept.com/records/SES0DCKVBBWMCM4/session-1-the-white-shaman-mural-added-sources-dating-record) ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/white-shaman-mural/questions/QST0DCKPM8HGXYZ/does-the-mural-express-beliefs-that-later-mesoamerican%23add-source) Where it fits White Shaman Mural **Does the mural express beliefs that later Mesoamerican peoples inherited from the Archaic Lower Pecos?** Key question · you're here [ Ask a question under this one ]