About
the Author: Mary S. Black fell in love with the Lower Pecos more
than twenty years ago. Since then she has studied the archaeology and
related ethnography of the area with numerous scholars. She has an Ed.D.
from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology and lives in Austin
with her husband, an archaeologist, and two cats.
Peyote Fire
Shaman of the Canyons
Mary S. Black
Also on Facebook and Goodreads
Peyote Fire is set in a real place
that still exists on the border of Texas and Mexico, only 4,000 years ago. The same rivers and canyons are still there,
the same dry, rugged uplands. It’s the
kind of place that if you’re driving fast on the highway, you’d never notice
the beauty and mystery that exists. But if you prowl among the canyons, you
discover magical art on the stone walls and other remains left there by the
people so long ago. In fact, over 300 rock art sites have been documented in
that area by researchers. What were those ancient people trying to say? The art
is so abstract and complex, it is difficult for modern people to understand. We
just don’t have the same frame of reference.
That’s what really spurred me to
write this book: wondering what the art was all about. Who were those people?
What was so important that they wanted future generations to know? The art
itself is known as Lower Pecos style and is painted in five colors: red,
orange, gold, white and black. Some of the figures could be people, some might
be animals, but many others are like nothing we know today. The pigments were all made from natural
minerals.
The protagonist of my book is
painting one of these murals, and you can actually visit it today. I’ve been lucky to tag along with several
archaeologists and others to see these paintings, and hear experts speculate
about what they all mean. Sometimes we
think that nobody lived in North America until 1620 when the Pilgrims
came. At least that’s what I was taught
growing up, but people have actually been here over 12,000 years! They had to
be strong and ingenious to survive.
Part
of what I want to do is expand our understanding of the people who came before
us, and tell a good story while doing it. The people in the book tell many
stories around the campfire, and those scenes were particularly fun to write. I based many of these on Native American
myths and folk tales, so there are lots of talking animals, but be forewarned,
these are not bedtime stories!
I guess I'm getting to be a geezer, but I often think those who don't know history are bound to repeat it. Do you agree? What are some of the lessons from Peyote Fire that you've learned?
ReplyDeleteMary, you know you've made me fall in love with your setting.
ReplyDelete