{"id":17825,"date":"2026-10-02T19:34:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T19:34:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17825"},"modified":"2026-10-02T19:34:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T19:34:54","slug":"border-wall-destroys-7000-year-old-arizona-geoglyph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17825","title":{"rendered":"Border Wall Destroys 7,000-Year-Old Arizona Geoglyph"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>A newly dated 272-foot rock carving in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge was severely damaged by border contractors, exposing a growing threat to public lands, outdoor access, and sacred Indigenous heritage.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">A bulldozer pictured in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge<!-- --> (Photo: Courtesy of CBD)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published October 2, 2026 01:13PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>For millennia, a 272-foot-long fished etched into the rocky floor of the Sonoran Desert called\u00a0Las Playas Intaglio has resided largely undisturbed\u00a0along what is now the U.S.-Mexico border. But in April, construction workers near Ajo, Arizona, plowed a 50-foot scar through the ancient geoglyph to build the Trump Administration\u2019s border wall.<\/p>\n<p>Archaeologists now believe\u00a0that the ancient rock carving is 6,000 years older than previously thought, according to research published in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/mydigitalpublication.com\/publication\/?i=870459&amp;p=30&amp;view=issueViewer\"><em>The SAA Archaeological Record<\/em><\/a> in September.<\/p>\n<p>That puts the ancient carving at around 7,000 years old, predating England\u2019s Stonehenge by 1,500 years, Egypt\u2019s ancient pyramids by around 2,000 years, and the Nazca Lines in Peru by 4,000 years.<\/p>\n<p>It also makes the earthwork the oldest dated geoglyph in the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey just ran right through the fish, basically severing its head from its body,\u201d Russ McSpadden, southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cAbout 30 percent of it was damaged. The fish was decapitated. This is a slap in the face to our shared human history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Customs and Border Protection told <em>Outside<\/em> that it \u201csecured the remaining portion of the site, and it is being protected in place.\u201d A spokesperson said the agency \u201ccontinues discussions with the tribe.\u201d The agency did not comment on the extent of the damage.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates like\u00a0McSpadden warn the physical destruction of the Las Playas Intaglio showcases a broader threat facing public lands, desert ecosystems, and Indigenous heritage sites.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe circumstances with respect to the Las Playas Intaglio furthermore are especially alarming given the federal government\u2019s plans for additional border wall enhancements,\u201d researchers David Whitley and Ronald Dorn wrote in their study. \u201cTheir destruction, should it come to pass, will be a national tragedy and international scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>\u201cA Gem of the Sonoran Desert\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Intaglios are geoglyphs that were scraped into desert pavements, and those found in Arizona were created and used for religious rituals, according to Whitley and Dorn. Las Playas Intaglio sits in an ancient lava field along the U.S.-Mexico border. Its fins are visible from space, and its face points south to the Sea of Cortez in the Gulf of California, about 45 miles away.<\/p>\n<p>The intaglio lies on the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/refuge\/cabeza-prieta\">Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge<\/a> in Arizona on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O\u2019odham Tribe. The refuge encompasses more than 800,000 acres of undesignated wilderness and a winter hiking destination.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/orpi\/index.htm\">Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument<\/a> is also known for its dark skies, camping, and 28 miles of established hiking trails. The area is also home to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/aztrail.org\/\">Arizona National Scenic Trail<\/a>, an 800-mile hiking route that spans from Mexico to the Arizona-Utah border.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe wildlife refuge itself is a gem of the Sonoran Desert,\u201d McSpadden said. \u201cBefore the border wall, it connected to this larger protected desert landscape, which is the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. And that connected to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2756559\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Before and after aerial photos show the intalgio complete and later with a 50-foot swath through it\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"656\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2756559\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/intalgio-1.jpg?width=828&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/intalgio-1.jpg?width=1920&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/intalgio-1.jpg?width=1920&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Before and after images of the intalgio captured on drone<\/span> (Photo: Courtesy of CBD)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>\u201cNothing is Sacred Right Now\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a series of waivers in 2025 that set aside dozens of environmental, cultural, and public health laws to expedite border wall construction across southern Arizona. Authorities have issued similar measures to build the border wall in Big Bend National Park.<\/p>\n<p>McSpadden said the Arizona intaglio signals what might happen to other cultural sites along proposed border wall construction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing is sacred right now for projects at the border,\u201d McSpadden said. \u201cThe only thing that\u2019s sacred is the wall itself, and it\u2019s dark and lawless because, by design, they\u2019ve waived all the laws. The victims are not just people and wildlife, but also deep history and our connection to our human past.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In February 2020, Monument Hill, a burial ground sacred to the O\u2019odham in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, was blasted. Protected Saguaro cacti have also been destroyed, according to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npca.org\/case-studies\/building-a-wall-destroying-a-park\">National Park Conservation Association<\/a>, which the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/000\/sagu-saguaro-cacti-plant-story.htm\">National Park Service<\/a> says only grow in the Sonoran Desert landscape.<\/p>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/border-wall-damages-ancient-arizona-geoglyph\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A newly dated 272-foot rock carving in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge was severely damaged by border contractors, exposing a growing threat to public lands, outdoor access, and sacred Indigenous heritage. A bulldozer pictured in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (Photo: Courtesy of CBD) Published October 2, 2026 01:13PM For millennia, a 272-foot-long fished etched<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}