US-Mexico border wall construction is desecrating sacred sites, Indigenous leaders say
Federal crews have damaged or altered more than 600 miles of border wall projects, tribal leaders said, as work spreads across sacred sites.
- On April 23, construction crews working in Arizona's Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge damaged the 1,000-year-old Las Playas Intaglio geoglyph, prompting Tohono O'odham leaders to demand answers from federal officials.
- Indigenous leaders report that contractors are desecrating sacred places at an unprecedented pace, with construction ramping up along the 1,954-mile border near sites like Kuuchamaa and Aal Waipia, also known as Quitobaquito.
- Customs and Border Protection said a contractor "inadvertently disturbed" the site on April 23, but Chairman Verlon Jose countered that no inspection can restore the "memory, identity, and history" lost in the destruction.
- The Diocese of Las Cruces asked a judge to block land transfers near Mount Cristo Rey citing religious liberties, while tribal leaders warned Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin that a fixed wall would not improve border security.
- Despite lobbying by the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona, the federal government intends to cover at least 1,400 miles of the border utilizing over $46 billion in funding, expanding construction despite cultural opposition.
87 Articles
87 Articles
Los Angeles Times
While burning white sage, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests in a Mexican wellness center in a semicircle in front of Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks them all to close their eyes and feel their presence.
Border wall construction is desecrating sacred sites, Indigenous leaders say
White sage burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests at a Mexican wellness resort into a semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks everyone to close their eyes and feel its presence. “This is sacred to us like a church for you all. The mountain is our healer, our psychologist,” said Meza Calles, a Kumeyaay Nation tribal leader who explains that in its creation story a shaman transformed into the mountain. “Here is where we gather strength to…
Border wall said desecrating Indigenous sacred sites
TECATE, Mexico -- Indigenous leaders say that in the Trump administration's rush to build border walls, contractors are desecrating Native American sacred places and cultural sites at an unprecedented pace, more than 170 years after the international boundary split the territories of dozens of tribes.
U.S.-Mexico border wall construction is desecrating sacred sites, Indigenous leaders say
White sage burning, Norma Meza Calles gathers guests at a Mexican wellness resort into a semicircle facing Kuuchamaa Mountain and asks everyone to close their eyes and feel its presence.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
