Hunter-Gatherer Landscape - California

Features January 1, 2011

Construction of vast solar farms in the deserts of southeastern California is threatening to permanently erase prehistoric Native American sites.
SHARE:
Men study giant figure scratched into surface of desert mesa. (Richard Hewitt Stewart/National Geographic Society)

Construction of vast solar farms in the deserts of southeastern California is threatening to permanently erase prehistoric Native American sites. Critics charge that while the need for new sources of renewable energy is a clear national priority, the rush to build solar infrastructure in order to qualify for tax breaks has led to inadequate archaeological testing and evaluation of sites in the way of planned solar arrays. The region's famous Blythe Geoglyphs, still a destination for Native American pilgrims, will not be directly affected by the development, but the rich archaeological landscape of which they are a part will be altered forever.

More Sites Under Threat 2010

  • Features July/August 2025

    Setting Sail for Valhalla

    Vikings staged elaborate spectacles to usher their rulers into the afterlife

    Read Article
    Museum of the Viking Age, University of Oslo
  • Features May/June 2025

    Lost City of the Samurai

    Archaeologists rediscover Ichijodani, a formidable stronghold that flourished amid medieval Japan’s brutal power struggles

    Read Article
    Tohan Aerial Photographic Service/AFLO
  • Features May/June 2025

    A Passion for Fruit

    Exploring the surprisingly rich archaeological record of berries, melons…and more

    Read Article
    © BnF, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY
  • Features March/April 2025

    An Egyptian Temple Reborn

    By removing centuries of soot, researchers have uncovered the stunning decoration of a sanctuary dedicated to the heavens

    Read Article
    Painted lotus-leaf capitals after cleaning in the entrance hall of the temple of Khnum, Esna, Egypt
    Ahmed Emam/© Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities