Desert rock art in southwestern United States is abundant. Pictographs and petroglyphs abound. But this trip added a third rock art element we’d never seen before – intaglios (also known as geoglyphs). Join us for a geo-hunt as we search for this rare art form along the Colorado River.
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Discovering Geoglyphs
Cycling alongside the Colorado River just upstream of Laughlin, Nevada, I stopped to read an interpretive sign. A grayish aerial photograph of a human-like figure scraped out of the desert pavement immediately caught my eye.
The description read: The Blythe intaglios, also known as “geoglyphs” are believed to be more than 1,000 years old. The circumstances of their origin are unknown.
What’s a geoglyph? What does “intaglio” mean? Why haven’t I heard of this before? Where is Blythe? Can we go see this site? Are there other sites nearby?
So many questions, time for some answers. A quick Google search gave us some basic knowledge about geoglyphs and intaglios. We quickly learned that the Blythe Intaglios are located near the town of Blythe in eastern California, as well as the fact that they were open to the public.
It was on our route – or could easily be with a little re-direction. After a bit more research, we eventually found two more relatively close sites worth investigating.
We’re set for a geoglyph hunt.
What is a Geoglyph?
Pictographs are painted images on rock. Petroglyphs are pecked rock art. So, what are geoglyphs? The BLM sign at the entrance to the Blythe intaglios says that they are “giant figures made on the desert floor by ancient man.” And that’s pretty much what a geoglyph is – it’s a human-like, animal-like, or geometric image created on the ground.
The name “intaglio” refers to a specific type of geoglyph. Intaglio (pronounced “uhn-tal-yow”) is a printmaking process where a design is made by engraving or incising the surface so that the image is depressed in relief below the original surface.
In this type of rock art, an image is created by scraping away or compressing the upper surface layers of the desert floor.
Did You Know? Geoglyphs can be found in many countries around the world – including Australia, Britain, Chile, Kazakhstan, Peru, and Scandanavia.
Blythe Intaglios
The Blythe intaglios are sometimes referred to as North America’s Nazca Lines – after the famous figures found south of Lima, Peru. There are literally hundreds of anthropomorphic geoglyphs found in the southwestern United States, but the Blythe geoglyphs are exceptionally large and easy to access.
There are three, chain-link fenced areas to explore on two low mesas above a juniper-laden wash. The first is a human figure and it is oriented north-south with its head pointing toward the south. Its arms are outstretched and its feet point outward.
Measuring 102 feet from head to toe, it has an arm span 64.9 feet. Original photos showed a circular path, measuring 131.2 feet in diameter, that enclosed the upper half of the figure, crossing the middle of its legs. Today all that remains of this path is the part that is inside the fence.
Animal and Spiral Figures
Slightly downhill from the large human figure is another fenced area containing two images. While their interpretation is up for debate, it commonly believed that the animal figure is a mountain lion. Local Native American mythology includes the mountain lion who changes into a person and helps the Creator with the earth.
The animal stretches out over 54 feet in length, with 26-foot long legs. Below the animal figure is a spiral figure that some interpret as coiled snake. If it is a serpent, it is something of my nightmares, measuring 23 feet long.
Protecting the Past
The Blythe Intaglios site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They are thought to be over 1,000 years old. It is one of the most well-known geoglyph sites in the country.
After the intaglios were first photographed in 1932, they were damaged by off-highway vehicle traffic. Those tracks can be seen in another photo taken 50 years later. Protective fencing was installed in 1974 and today a secondary fence keeps vehicle to the main road, well away from the fragile art.
Accessing the Blythe Intalgios
You can access the site from the south by driving north of Blythe, CA along U.S. Highway 95 near the Colorado River. From Parker, AZ, take Highway 95 to Mohave Road and turn right. Continue to Agnes Wilson Road and turn right again. This road takes you across the Colorado River to the California Highway 95. Turn left and head south to the Blythe Intaglio entrance, on the west side of the highway. It is signed.
Bouse Fisherman
It is believed that this intaglio relates to Native American mythology. Tribes along the lower Colorado River Region have oral traditions which were handed down through generations. This geoglyph tells the story of how the god Kumastamo thrust a spear into the ground to make the Colorado River flow.
The human-like figure is clear in this geoglyph, although the spear that was held in the left hand is faded. A sun is visible above the figure’s head with a line that could be a bird above the figure’s right shoulder. A wavy line below the feet represents the water with two faint fish, one larger than the other, below.
Locating the Fisherman
We accessed the site by driving 12 miles (19.3 km) from Bouse over Quinn Pass along the Plomosa Road heading from Bouse to Quartzite. The pullout is signed as a “scenic view” parking area on the right. It is not signed for the intaglio. Walk a short distance along the OHV road (now closed) to the gated entrance with a small cairn and plaque commemorating the site. A short way up along the desert pavement, you’ll see the low-fenced site.
The Snake Geoglyph
The least publicized of the three geoglyphs we visited was the snake geoglyph near Parker, AZ. It was definitely the most challenging to find without clear directions (we took good notes to make it a little easier for you to find), but our geo-hunt was successful in the end.
This geoglyph itself is not fenced to keep people from trampling this fragile art, in fact, one has to take great care not to disturb the site. Portions of the intaglio are distinct, but the head and rattle are difficult to make out from the ground. Thinking next time, I’m bringing a drone!
Another open rocky bench nearby looks like it may have had a geoglyph as well, but the image is really hard to discern. Circles of rocks on a low hill nearby look too out of place to be natural – perhaps an encampment site? Exploration and discovery – that’s all part of the hunt!
Finding The Snake
The Snake can be found by driving just south of Parker’s Chevrolet car dealership on Highway 95 to Shea Road. Turn left and follow this paved road for 13 miles (21 km) to the intersection with the gravel road marked as heading 17 miles to Swansea Mine.
Turn right and drive down the Swansea Mine road for approximately 1000 feet (300 m) and park on the right. Cross road to access low ridge. There is an opening in the fence, marked with a small brown-and-white “archaeological site” sign.
How Many More?
Intaglios are so large, they are difficult to see from the ground. Many have faded over time to mere ghost images of their former glory. It makes one wonder how many more geoglyphs are out there. These prehistoric earth figures and the areas around them are cultural resources sacred to Native Americans, but with respect and care, exploration is still possible.
Care to join us on a geo-hunt? Let us know what else you discover – and we’ll do the same!
For Further Reading
Find more details about Colorado River creation mythology here.
A brief discussion of geoglyphs as ethnographic-geographic enigmas can be found on the University of California Santa Barbara Geography page.
Neato Megan! We’ll try and check these out on our way north of Blythe!
Hope you do see them Claudette – they are worth the small detour!
Our Ecology class from PHS took a trip out to the snake in 1990. Was a pretty cool thing to see.
It is cool – and so many people don’t realize this rock art exists!