"On Thursday, late afternoon, they were still talking about how to protect the area and went home feeling that they were still working together. On Friday, for whatever reason, the contractors bulldozed the area,"
"This wall cuts through sovereign ancestral lands that existed long before the U.S.-Mexico border,"
"The construction harmed some cultural and natural resources... by blasting at tribal burial sites,"
Construction crews building an expanded border wall in Arizona razed part of a Native American archaeological site in the Sonoran Desert. Aerial photos show bulldozers caused extensive damage to a 280-by-50-foot desert sand etching called an intaglio. The intaglio has special significance for the Hia-Ced O'odham people and is estimated to be at least 1,000 years old. Local community members informed work crews and Border Patrol officials about the site’s importance. Federal officials and lawmakers criticized the rapid construction approach, saying it cut through sovereign ancestral lands and proceeded without meaningful tribal consultation. Reports also describe harm to cultural and natural resources, including blasting at tribal burial sites.
#arizona #border-wall-construction #native-american-cultural-heritage #hia-ced-oodham #sonoran-desert-archaeology
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