GIS, sight and sound. Exploring the rock art landscapes of the Santa Teresa Canyon (Baja California Sur, Mexico) as a case study

This article explores the senses of sight and hearing in Santa Teresa Canyon, Sierra de San Francisco (Baja California, Mexico), where there is a large number of rock art sites of the Great Mural style. This rock art tradition is characterized by the presence of sizeable prehistoric murals depicting large figures. Departing from previous research in which the acoustical properties of the rock art landscape of the canyon were appraised, in this study we look at this in conjunction with visibility. Through the use of a series of tools and procedures implemented through GIS, viewsheds and soundsheds are modelled and assessed in relation to the surrounding landscape. The comparative analysis of emblematic, principal and secondary sites allows us to propose that these categories may have played a complementary role in the construction of a socialized landscape by the native communities that inhabited the Baja California peninsula. • An assessment is made of the sensory variables of sight and sound of rock art sites. • The rock art sites of the Santa Teresa Canyon are clustered by hierarchy and location. • Sight and sound may assist in the construction of a socialized landscape. • GIS enables a systematic, comparative study of the sensory variables of sight and sound.