The Giant Figures Carved Into the Desert Floor—Only Visible from the Sky
They were never meant to be seen from ground level.
And for over 1,000 years, no one did.
Then in 1931, a pilot flew over the California desert—and saw something impossible.
Massive human shapes etched into the earth.
This is the story of the Blythe Intaglios. 🧵
They were never meant to be seen from ground level.
And for over 1,000 years, no one did.
Then in 1931, a pilot flew over the California desert—and saw something impossible.
Massive human shapes etched into the earth.
This is the story of the Blythe Intaglios. 🧵
Near the Colorado River, in the harsh open desert north of Blythe, CA, six enormous geoglyphs stretch across the gravel.
•A human figure over 165 feet long
•A quadruped, likely a mountain lion or coyote
•Spirals, lines, and another set of humanoid forms
They were carved by scraping away the dark desert crust to reveal pale soil beneath—no tools, no machines, just precision and ritual.
•A human figure over 165 feet long
•A quadruped, likely a mountain lion or coyote
•Spirals, lines, and another set of humanoid forms
They were carved by scraping away the dark desert crust to reveal pale soil beneath—no tools, no machines, just precision and ritual.
They weren’t found by archaeologists.
They weren’t even known to most local residents.
They were discovered by accident, from the air.
That’s when it hit: these figures can only be seen from above.
Long before aircraft, GPS, or satellite views—someone created these to speak to the sky. Or something in it.
They weren’t even known to most local residents.
They were discovered by accident, from the air.
That’s when it hit: these figures can only be seen from above.
Long before aircraft, GPS, or satellite views—someone created these to speak to the sky. Or something in it.
Who made them?
Archaeologists believe the Patayan culture (or their ancestors) created them between 900 and 1200 CE.
Their descendants include the Quechan and Mojave, who hold oral traditions describing giant spirit-beings who shaped the land in the time before time.
The largest figure may represent Mustamho, a creator figure in Quechan cosmology.
Archaeologists believe the Patayan culture (or their ancestors) created them between 900 and 1200 CE.
Their descendants include the Quechan and Mojave, who hold oral traditions describing giant spirit-beings who shaped the land in the time before time.
The largest figure may represent Mustamho, a creator figure in Quechan cosmology.
The Blythe Intaglios aren’t isolated.
They sit near ancient footpaths, cleared circles, and ceremonial trails that stretch across the lower Colorado River Valley.
They may have been part of ritual pilgrimages—a sacred landscape marked not by monuments above the earth, but by silence and subtraction.
They carved meaning into absence.
They sit near ancient footpaths, cleared circles, and ceremonial trails that stretch across the lower Colorado River Valley.
They may have been part of ritual pilgrimages—a sacred landscape marked not by monuments above the earth, but by silence and subtraction.
They carved meaning into absence.
But for centuries, these sacred figures were trampled.
Horses. Wagons. Trucks. Even tanks during military training exercises.
By the time fences went up in the 1970s, some lines were already lost.
And even now, most Americans have never heard of them.
No gift shops. No crowds. Just heat, wind, and memory.
Horses. Wagons. Trucks. Even tanks during military training exercises.
By the time fences went up in the 1970s, some lines were already lost.
And even now, most Americans have never heard of them.
No gift shops. No crowds. Just heat, wind, and memory.
There are fewer than 300 known geoglyphs like this in North America.
None are larger.
Few are older.
And almost none remain as mysterious.
The Blythe Intaglios aren’t just art.
They’re messages—cut into the skin of the earth, meant to last forever.
We just forgot how to read them.
None are larger.
Few are older.
And almost none remain as mysterious.
The Blythe Intaglios aren’t just art.
They’re messages—cut into the skin of the earth, meant to last forever.
We just forgot how to read them.
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