Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Pictographs are simple pictures painted on rock by early Indigenous peoples in Texas. They used natural colors like red ochre and charcoal to show animals, people, and important events in their lives. These images help us understand what life was like long ago because they act like primary sources, giving clues about beliefs, traditions, and the environment. Pictographs are one of the earliest ways people communicated and shared stories without written words.
📘 Texas TEKS Connected to Pictographs
⭐ Grade 4 – Texas History
4.1A – Describe the cultures of American Indian groups in Texas.
4.10A – Explain how people in Texas used and adapted to natural resources.
4.22A–C – Interpret and analyze primary sources such as maps, timelines, and artifacts (pictographs count as artifacts).
⭐ Grade 5 – U.S. History to 1877
5.1A – Describe the cultures of Indigenous peoples in North America.
5.23A–C – Use primary and secondary sources to understand the past.
⭐ Grade 7 – Texas History (Middle School)
7.1A – Identify Indigenous groups living in Texas before European exploration.
7.2A – Describe characteristics of early Native cultures in Texas.
7.21A–C – Analyze information from primary sources such as artifacts, maps, and visuals.
Pictographs are simple pictures painted on rock by early Indigenous peoples in Texas. They used natural colors like red ochre and charcoal to show animals, people, and important events in their lives. These images help us understand what life was like long ago because they act like primary sources, giving clues about beliefs, traditions, and the environment. Pictographs are one of the earliest ways people communicated and shared stories without written words.
📘 Texas TEKS Connected to Pictographs
⭐ Grade 4 – Texas History
4.1A – Describe the cultures of American Indian groups in Texas.
4.10A – Explain how people in Texas used and adapted to natural resources.
4.22A–C – Interpret and analyze primary sources such as maps, timelines, and artifacts (pictographs count as artifacts).
⭐ Grade 5 – U.S. History to 1877
5.1A – Describe the cultures of Indigenous peoples in North America.
5.23A–C – Use primary and secondary sources to understand the past.
⭐ Grade 7 – Texas History (Middle School)
7.1A – Identify Indigenous groups living in Texas before European exploration.
7.2A – Describe characteristics of early Native cultures in Texas.
7.21A–C – Analyze information from primary sources such as artifacts, maps, and visuals.
