#0101 Giant Desert Figures
Title
#0101 Giant Desert Figures
Site information:
On Hwy 95 (P.M. 15.3), 16 mi N of Blythe. Take the road with the sign for "Blythe Intaglios."33.800617,-114.532030
Plaque information:
The state plaque was missing when I visited. In 2023, it was replaced with a new state plaque.33.799977,-114.527538
Plaque text:
In 1932, pilot George Palmer spotted six giant figures etched in the ground along the Colorado River. Called intaglios or geoglyphs, these figures range from 95 feet to 171 feet in length: three humanoid, two animals, and one spiral. They were made by scraping away dark desert varnish to expose lighter soil underneath and may range in age from 1540 CE to 900 BCE. The figures share similarities with modern Quechan mythology, chiefly Mastamho, the creator.Plaque placed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the California Landmark Foundation and the Bill Beaver project on April 16, 2023.
OHP description:
Times of origin and meaning of these giant figures, the largest of which is 167 feet long and the smallest 95 feet, remain a mystery. There are three figures, two of animals and one of a coiled serpent, and some interesting lines. (Sandstone pebbles glazed on one side with 'desert varnish,' strewn over the surface of the mesa, have been moved away, leaving the earth forming the figures, the pebbles were placed in windrows about the edge as an outline.)Registered 3/29/1933