Trump Border Wall Crews Damage 1,000-Year-Old Native Etching in Arizona
Construction crews working on President Donald Trump’s border wall damaged part of the Las Playas Intaglio, an archaeological ground etching in Arizona’s Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge estimated to be at least 1,000 years old. About 60 to 70 feet of the 272-foot-long design—described as fish-like and likely sacred to ancestors of the Tohono O’odham Nation—was harmed by heavy machinery, according to reporting first cited from the Washington Post. US Customs and Border Patrol confirmed that a contractor “inadvertently disturbed” the site on Thursday, April 23, and said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott is engaging with tribal leadership while the remaining portion is secured and protected. Preservation archaeologist Aaron Wright said intaglios are widely understood as sacred sites and may still be visited for spiritual purposes, and the article links the incident to broader concerns about emergency declarations used to bypass environmental review for border infrastructure, including a forthcoming multi-billion-dollar “Smart Wall” project.
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This story was covered in Biennial Meltdown, Market Myths, and Museum Scandals