Ancient People Carved 170-Foot Human Figures Into This Desert Floor Without Ever Seeing Them From Above

North America’s Nazca Lines

The Blythe Intaglios are a set of massive geoglyphs carved into California’s Colorado Desert, the only known region with these giant ground drawings.

Estimated to be over 1,000 years old, they remain a mystery best seen from above. Here are 11 facts you gotta know before visiting.

Finding the Hidden Giants

The Blythe Intaglios, located in the Colorado Desert near Blythe, California, are an incredible set of massive ground drawings on two mesas within a 300-meter area.

Pilot George Palmer stumbled upon them during a flight in 1932, and since then, archaeologists have been fascinated by these giant designs.

This includes the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, which conducted a survey of the area after their discovery.

Just How Big Are They?

These desert drawings are huge.

The biggest one, called “Giant Man,” is 171 feet long – about as wide as a passenger plane. There’s also another human figure that’s 102 feet tall.

Native Americans made these drawings by scraping away the dark top layer of desert ground to show the lighter soil underneath.

If you’re interested, you can now join special workshops in 2025 to photograph these giants using drones or planes.

Nobody Knows Their Exact Age

Scientists aren’t sure exactly when these drawings were made.

By studying nearby areas, researcher Jay von Werlhof found that they could be anywhere from 450 to 2,000 years old.

Making things more complicated, they found pottery pieces and stone tools that show different native groups lived here at different times.

It’s like trying to figure out who drew in a sandbox that people used for hundreds of years.

Nature’s Art Gallery

The desert has been like a natural museum for these drawings.

With barely 4 inches of rain each year and summer heat over 100°F, there’s almost no wind to blow the drawings away, and plants rarely grow to disturb them.

Thanks to these harsh conditions, the artwork has stayed almost the same.

Sacred Stories in the Sand

These aren’t just random drawings – they tell important spiritual stories.

The Mojave and Quechan peoples believe these designs are part of their sacred land, which includes the nearby Colorado River.

The biggest human figure is thought to be Mastamho, their creator god, who they believe made the Colorado River and brought life to the desert people.

People used to hold special dances here to honor the Creator of Life.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Here’s something surprising: if you were walking right next to these drawings, you probably wouldn’t see them.

They’re so big and subtle that you can only make them out from high above. That’s why Palmer only spotted them while flying at 1,000 feet.

Today, there aren’t many signs at the site, which keeps its mystery alive. Visitors can take special air tours to see and photograph these amazing designs from above.

Ancient Math Skills

The people who made these drawings were very skilled.

Without modern tools, they created figures that line up perfectly and have the right proportions, with measurements that are 97-98% accurate.

Some researchers think the drawings might have helped people track the moon and sun, like a giant calendar in the desert.

More Than Just Human Figures

While the human figures get most of the attention, there’s more to see.

The site has six different drawings in total, including what look like a mountain lion and a rattlesnake. These animal figures are between 90 and 171 feet long.

Just like the figures, they were made by carefully scraping away the desert’s top layer.

Preserved History

The Blythe Intaglios are so important that they’ve been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. The Bureau of Land Management watches over them with fences from 1974 to keep them safe.

They Do Face Environmental Threats

These ancient drawings face some dangers. Off-road vehicles sometimes come too close, and stronger winds could slowly wear them away.

Local groups like the Sacred Sites Protection Circle work hard to keep these treasures safe for future generations.

Similar Art Around the World

The Blythe Intaglios aren’t alone – other cultures made similar giant ground drawings.

Peru has the famous Nazca Lines, and there are geometric patterns in Bolivia’s Sajama Lines and the Kazakhstan Lines.

While different peoples made these drawings, they might have all used them to study the stars or for special ceremonies.