In this paper, we explore the temporal dimension of rock art, emphasising the intensity and the history of its production. With the intention of establishing categories of intensity, experimentation with different techniques, instruments and types of strokes was undertaken in order to evaluate the amount of time and work required to produce the petroglyphs. The results were compared to the rock art produced by two different societies that inhabited the semi-arid region of Chile, specifically in the Limarí valley. The results of these analyses allowed us to observe two distinct temporal organisations of rock art production, corresponding to two different types of societies: Hunter-gatherers and peasants. At the same time, we discuss the relevance of these experiments and their implications for the identified temporal differences in social terms.