The Mysterious Blythe Intaglios Geoglyphs in the California Desert -

In the Colorado Desert near the border of California and Arizona, the Blythe Intaglios (or Blythe Geoglyphs) decorate the desert floor. These enormous ground designs remain one of the enduring historic mysteries of the United States. No one knows precisely who created them or when. However, what is certain is that the process of creating these phenomenal pieces of natural art required extensive time and effort. This reveals the importance of the geoglyphs to those who fashioned them.

“Their age is inbetween 450-2000 years old. According to the Mohave and Quechans, natives to the lower Colorado River area, the human figures represent Mastamho, the Creator of all life.” Recreation.gov

Discovering the Giants of the Desert

Army Air Corps pilot George Palmer departed the area of Hoover Dam on the morning of November 12, 1931, for Los Angeles. The flight became anything but routine when Palmer noticed strange figures below him on the barren landscape of the Colorado Desert. What seemed to be depictions of a mountain lion, horses, and a rattlesnake with large rocks for eyes loomed large beyond the cockpit.

It was the giants, however, that must have held Palmer’s attention. There were anthropomorphic human figures amidst the collection of animals and geometric shapes. Large ones. Additionally, the desert giants appeared to be male. One of them displayed a distinct rendering of its manhood. Another held a spear poised above two fish while the Sun and a serpent watched from above. A third stood with arms and legs outstretched as though he were participating in some ancient ritual or summoning.

There were six figures in total. Palmer interpreted them to represent three humans and three animals. The pilot reported his findings upon landing in Los Angeles, but there was little immediate interest. America was in the throes of the Great Depression. Unless these desert giants could work a special kind of magic that would feed hungry people and help them get back to work, few people were interested. It would be more than 20 years before Palmer’s discovery near Blythe, California, was first investigated.

Geoglyphic Casualties of War

As the Great Depression decimated lives and shattered families from coast to coast, a new threat was emerging in Europe. The rise of Adolf Hitler would soon thrust America into a war that was even more costly than the war for survival at home. Bread lines and relief payments were eclipsed by the more palpable sorrow of family members being sent into battle.

General George S. Patton summoned recruits to the Colorado Desert for training. He apparently had no idea that one of the first casualties of the war effort was the Blythe Intaglios beneath the tires of army vehicles. By the time National Geographic and the Smithsonian sent a team of scientists to explore the intaglios in 1952, some of the desert geoglyphs bore visual marks of tire tracks. Five more years would pass before U.S. park officials would build fences.

Today, the Blythe Intaglios are classified as State Historic Monument No. 101. Fences are still intact, but access to the intaglios is permitted at all hours for those who wish to examine these ancient works of art up close. Some visitors come merely for curiosity, but others come in an effort to puzzle out the riddles that archaeologists have never conclusively solved. Who made these desert giants, and why?