Ancient Indigenous Geoglyph Damaged by Border Wall Construction

In a surprising archaeological discovery, the Las Playas Intaglio, a sacred site of the Tohono O’odham tribe featuring a massive fish-shaped geoglyph, has been dated to be at least 6,500 years old. This newfound age makes it the oldest such earth carving in the Americas, predating notable structures like Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.

Located along the Arizona-Mexico border within the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, this ancient site drew attention when it sustained damage due to border wall construction activities earlier this year. Researchers utilized advanced techniques on rock and soil samples to arrive at this revised age, published in this month’s edition of the SSA Archaeological Record.

Environmental and Political Concerns

During a House Natural Resources Committee session, Arizona Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva highlighted the significance of Las Playas Intaglio amidst discussions on President Donald Trump’s funding proposal for the Interior Department. The session underscored concerns over the preservation of indigenous heritage sites.

Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed mixed emotions about the discovery. “You know, older than Stonehenge, older than the pyramids in Egypt,” he remarked. “But at the same time, it’s doubly tragic, because there was significant damage done to it back in April.”

The damage occurred when border wall contractors drove heavy machinery across the site. Aerial imagery captured by McSpadden shows the red dirt track marks cutting through the site’s black volcanic rock, depicting the fish body. Despite inquiries, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not provide information on measures to rectify the damage before the article’s publication.