market in 1956 and during this time, members of archaeological and historical societies raised awareness of the area's significance. El Paso County took over the land in the mid-1960s.In 1968, it was discussed whether or not the park should be turned over to the Tiguas. In 1969, the El Paso County commissioners decided to deed the park to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. It was made a Texas State Park in 1970. The park's information center was made from the old Escontrías ranch house. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Archaeological excavations conducted by George Kegley took place in the area between 1972 and 1973. The park was named the Hueco Tanks State Historic Site in 1998. Pictographs The first paintings made at Hueco Tanks were done by members of the Desert Archaic Culture, and depicted abstract designs. These were created between 6000 and 3000 B.C. Between 3000 BC and 450 A.D., pictures of animals and humans were drawn on the rocks. Most of the pictographs at Hueco Tanks are of Jornada Mogollon origin. The drawings may have been used in praying for rain. The Jornada's religion was influenced by Mesoamerican religions. Many of the Hueco Tanks drawings depicted Tlaloc, a rain god and Quetzalcoatl. Modern graffiti by Anglo people started appearing when someone painted "1849" over some of the original pictographs. The first scientific overview of the rock paintings at Hueco Tanks happened in the summer of 1939 with Forrest and Lula Kirkland recording the art. Most of the colors used in the paintings came from minerals in the area. The paintings themselves became bound to the rock through the aging process. In 1972, the El Paso Archaeological Society (EPAS) and the Anthropology Club of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) systematically documented the drawings, their current conditions and sometimes relocated and inspected the rock art. The project discovered 300 previously unrecorded pictographs. The findings of their work was published in A Rock Art Inventory at Hueco Tanks State Park (1974). In 1988, park ranger Dave Parker and archeologist Ron Ralph plotted the location of all known pictographs. A digital database of the art and its GPS coordinates was started in 1999 with Robert Mark and Evelyn Billo. Geology The syenite pluton was formed 34-38 million years ago, as part of a larger range, the Hueco Mountains, which range in