Aside from being works of art, what else are the Blythe Intaglios?
The Blythe Intaglios (also known as Blythe Geoglyphs) adorn the desert floor in the Colorado Desert, close to the boundary of California and Arizona. One of the long-lasting historical puzzles in American history is these vast ground designs. Nobody is certain of when or who exactly built them. What is known, though, is that it took a lot of time and effort to produce these incredible works of nature art. This illustrates how significant the geoglyphs were to the people who created them.
Blythe Intaglios. Geoglyphs in the Colorado Desert, California. Source: Google Earth 2017.
Their age ranges from 450 to 2000 years. The Mohave and Quechan people who live along the lower Colorado River believe that the human figures stand for Mastamho, the One who created all life.
Discovering the Desert Giants
On the morning of November 12, 1931, Army Air Corps pilot George Palmer flew from the Hoover Dam region to Los Angeles. When Palmer observed odd figures below him on the arid Colorado Desert landscape, the flight changed from ordinary to the unexpected. Beyond the cockpit loomed what appeared to be images of a mountain lion, horses, and a serpent with huge boulders for eyes.
Palmer's attention must have been drawn to the giants, though. Anthropomorphic human figures could be found among the assortment of animals and geometrical patterns. big ones. The desert giants also appeared to be male. One of them had a clear representation of its manhood on display. While the Sun and a serpent looked on from above, another person held a spear poised over two fish. A third person was standing with his arms and legs extended as though he were taking part in a summoning or ancient rite.
There were a total of six figures. They stood for three people and three animals, according to Palmer's interpretation. Upon landing in Los Angeles, the pilot relayed his observations, but there wasn't much curiosity right away. The Great Depression was gripping America. Few people were interested in these desert giants unless they could perform a unique form of magic that would satisfy their hunger and enable them to resume their task. The first investigation into Palmer's discovery near Blythe, California, wouldn't happen for more than 20 years.
Geoglyphic War Casualties
A new threat was developing in Europe as the Great Depression destroyed lives and tore apart families from coast to coast. The ascent of Adolf Hitler will soon drag America into a conflict far more expensive than the struggle for domestic survival. Bread queues and aid payments were overshadowed by the more tangible grief of having a family member go to war.
For training, General George S. Patton called up recruits to the Colorado Desert. He was clearly unaware that the Blythe Intaglios found under army vehicles' tires were one of the first casualties of the war effort. Some of the desert geoglyphs had tire tracks visible on them by the time National Geographic and the Smithsonian sent a team of scientists to investigate the intaglios in 1952. Before American park authorities built walls, five more years would pass.
The Blythe Intaglios currently fall under the State Historic Monument No. 101 classification. Although the intaglios are still enclosed by fences, anyone wishing to view them up close is free to do so whenever they like. Some tourists go out of curiosity, while others try to unravel the mysteries that archaeologists have never been able to solve with absolute certainty. Who built these enormous desert creatures, and why?
Anthropomorphic geoglyph at Blythe Intaglios. Wikimedia Commons, credit: Rons Log.
Intaglios are used in the US
Intaglio is an Italian word. It speaks of the engraving procedure. This is how the Blythe geoglyphs were created. Native Americans created intaglios using a time-consuming procedure that involved removing layers of the desert floor. As rocks and pebbles are removed, the top, black layer quickly gives way to the lighter tones below. The shapes created by the process are traced by these rocks and pebbles. Anyone may see the effect, which resembles a 3-D effect, from the air, as Palmer did on his flight.
In the US, intaglios are common. In Needles, California, there is an extensive maze that was built using the same technique as the Blythe Intaglios. The Topock Maze's creators and precise age are likewise still a bit of a mystery. The American Southwest is home to the majority of intaglio examples, which serves to focus conjecture on the several Native American tribes who once called these regions home.
Numerous suggestions have been put forth by researchers to explain who made the Blythe Intaglios. The majority of people concur that they were created by Native Americans who lived along the Colorado River. However, efforts to pinpoint the precise tribes at fault have been ineffective. One widely accepted explanation holds that they were created by the Patayan people who lived in the region from roughly 700 to 1550 AD.
Animal and human form geoglyphs, Blythe Intaglios. Source: Google Earth 2017.
Iconography for religion or merely art?
It is challenging to argue that these geoglyphs in the desert are merely works of art. Although they are undoubtedly visible from the ground, viewing them from the air offers the greatest perspective. It makes sense to assume that their makers intended for them to please immortal eyes.
On two mesas, there are the Blythe Intaglios. The intaglios in Blythe are by far the largest of the about 600 found in the Southwest of the United States. More over half of a football field long, or 171 feet, is one of the enormous human figures. Although the other human figures are somewhat smaller, they are all longer than 100 feet.
Creation Figures
These large sizes may be a reflection of the Native American peoples' typical veneration for deity beings. The human figures are thought to be depictions of a supernatural creator, according to members of tribal societies that are still present in the area. The depictions of animals serve to tell a creation myth. They range in age from 450 to 2000 years old. The Mohave and Quechan people who live along the lower Colorado River believe that the human figures stand for Mastamho, the One who created all life. The animal representations are of Hatakulya, one of the two mountain lions/creators. The region used to host religious ceremonial dances in the past to celebrate creation (Recreation.gov). But why did they make them so that they could be seen best from above?
Anthropomorphic figure. Source: Google Earth 2017.
There are various rationales that could apply. One of the more logical explanations is that the Blythe Intaglios are a form of homage or offering to the Native American Creator or God. In this setting, the geoglyphs would be used to characterize the locals as submissive and devoted servants. A good god would undoubtedly be pleased to see such an amazing spectacle from the heavens. Extreme ideas, on the other hand, contend that the intaglios were a landmark or beacon for a long-extinct alien culture. In the distant past, this would have facilitated their trip to the mesa.
Intaglios as Cultural Identity
All scientists and archaeologists appear to agree on one thing. The potential of the Blythe Intaglios to maintain the cultural identity of the Native American peoples may be their greatest value. Ironically, the conquering of America's first inhabitants happened in a procedure quite similar to how these amazing geoglyphs were made. The Native American way of life has slowly been erased, leaving behind just a lighter version of a once-vibrant and colorful society.
