The rock art manifestations in desert contexts pose a series of conservation problems that must be taken into account when studying and assessing that kind of representations. Therefore, this presentation exposes part of the documentation obtained through investigations carried out on the rock art engravings of El Arenoso region, in the Sonora desert (Mexico). It should be pointed out, by the way, that this work was developed as part of the project project: Poblamiento Temprano en el Noroeste de Sonora (Caborca, México), which has allowed us to a first approach to its state of conservation.
Knowing the degree of deterioration of the sets of rock art engravings it's something crucial, since this allows the teams of specialists in conservation to establish protocols for their prevention and safeguard and, likewise, establish measures to implement in these contexts of extreme aridity. To evaluate the state of conservation of the rocks with engravings, we proceeded to complement the record sheets, with observations about the different degrees of conservation from a visual inspection. In addition, the realization of digital tracings or digitalisations has served as a support method to verify even more effectively the deterioration which affects the representations and obtain a first diagnosis about the sets in this desert area.