Border Wall Construction Destroys 1,000-Year-Old Arizona Geoglyph
A CBP contractor cut a 60- to 70-foot swath through the geoglyph, despite prior efforts by archaeologists and tribal leaders to protect it.
- A Department of Homeland Security contractor bulldozed a roughly 60-foot swath through a 1,000-year-old intaglio in Arizona's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, causing irreparable damage to the ancient site.
- The destruction occurred as part of President Donald Trump's $46.5 billion border barrier expansion project, which requires clearing land for a secondary wall near the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Despite discussions between refuge managers, archaeologists Rick and Sandra Martynec, and contractors to protect the site, O'odham runners alerted elder Lorraine Marquez Eiler to encroaching construction the day before destruction occurred.
- Lorraine Marquez Eiler, an elder of the Hia-ced O'odham Indigenous people, described the damage as "an emotional subject," emphasizing the site's deep ancestral significance to her community.
- The incident mirrors previous DHS border construction impacts on sacred sites, including a burial ground in Organ Pipe National Monument, raising concerns about the effectiveness of environmental protections for tribal heritage.
34 Articles
34 Articles
“They Don’t Care”: Trump’s Border Wall Construction Damages 1,000-Year-Old Sacred Indigenous Site
Construction crews in Arizona who are building President Trump’s expanded border wall have razed a portion of a Native American archeological site in the Sonoran Desert estimated to be at least 1,000 years old. Aerial photos reveal that bulldozers caused extensive damage to a 280-by-50-foot etching in the desert sand known as an intaglio, which holds special significance for the Hia-Ced O’odham people. Lorraine Marquez Eiler, co-founder of the In
New Photos, Videos Show Border Wall Construction Damage to Ancient Archeological Site in Arizona
AJO, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity released new video footage and photographs today documenting recent damage from border wall construction to the Las Playas Intaglio, an ancient fish-shaped geoglyph in Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
Las Playas Intaglio Damaged by Border Wall Construction in Arizona - Archaeology Magazine
Archival aerial photograph of Las Playas Intaglio, Arizona AJO, ARIZONA—According to a Washington Post report, an intaglio that looks like a fish has been damaged in southwestern Arizona by construction crews building a second wall on the border with Mexico parallel to the first. Waivers issued by the Department of Homeland Security exempted border wall construction crews from laws requiring the protection of Indigenous archaeological sites and …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 71% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
