![]() ![]() Of course, traditional thinking proclaims the Spanish introduced horses to the New World. Some people say they look like horses, albeit with very thin tails. The animal figures invite various interpretations. The elongated human forms probably represent the creator and his evil twin, key figures in the creation beliefs of modern native people in the region. In ancient times, sacred ceremonial dances were held in the area to honor the Creator of life. The animal figures represent Hatakulya, one of two mountain lions/persons who helped in the Creation. The animal figure clearly has a long tail like a mountain lion.Īccording to Mohave and Quechan tribes of the lower Colorado River area, the human figures represent Mastamho, the Creator of Earth and all life. The human figure is about twice the size of the others, and also seems to have a phallus design, although this could have been added by later "artists". The third pair of figures is much larger, with the human figure measuring 171 feet in length. It lacks defined knees, but does have clearly defined elbows. The figure measures 102.0 feet from head to toe, and its arms span a distance of 64.9 feet. The other human figure most likely represents a male it is the only one of the "Blythe Intaglios" that appears to have originally been created with a phallus between its legs. This figure is one of the least disturbed of the group. Could they represent strands of hair atop the head? Today these subtle parts of the figure are difficult to discern. Is the mountain lion battling a snake?Įarlier drawings indicated fingures and toes and several lines are coming out from the head. One interpretation is that the figure represents a coiled snake. It measures 23 feet in length and is oriented northwest-southwest and has a maximum width of 8.8 feet. Its legs measure 26.2 feet long and at the end of each leg is a half circle, interpreted to possibly represent a paw or a hoof.īelow the animal figure is an elaborate spiral figure. It measures 54.1 feet from head to tail and its body is 7.5 feet wide. The animal figure is oriented northwest-southwest with its head pointing toward the northwest. Some non-Native Americans believe the figure represents a horse, which would date the site to post Spanish visitation of the area. Their stories mention the mountian lion who changes into a person and helps the Creator with the earth. The animal and spiral figures that are represented here are may be mentioned in Native American histories as mythological characters. The torso combined with the arm span are 91.8 feet wide. Its arms are outstretched and its feet point outward. The human figure is oriented north-south with its head pointing toward the south. According to Native American oral histories, the human figure may represent the Creator, while the animal figures may represent mountain lions who helped in the creation. The "Blythe Intaglios" were created by scraping away the desert pavement.Īrchaeologists cannot be sure how old the geoglyphs are, since dating techniques have not been developed to date these types of features. ![]() Geoglyphs can be found in three forms: one is where designs or features are created by aligning stones together another method involves the scraping away of the desert pavement gravels exposing the ligher colored sands to create the designs or features and finally the designs or features are tamped into the desert pavement forming an indented image. Archaeologists call these kinds of earth figures " geoglyphs" or " intaglios" (in tar yoe). In 1931, George Palmer, a local pilot, discovered these huge figures outstretched across the desert pavement on the terraces above the Colorado River near Blythe, California.
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