The American South West is home to numerous ancient sites, structures, and artifacts that give archaeologists and historians insight into the prehistoric past of desert dwellers. Many of these sites reside in, and around, our Morongo Basin. Reporter Andrew Dieleman tells us about the Desert Institute’s upcoming class designed to shed light on local ancient structures called Intaglios…
Considered one of the unsolved mysteries of modern Archaeology, more than 300 Intaglios, large ancient rock figures laid out on the ground, are scattered across the American Southwest and Mexico. The Desert Institute will present an all-day field class lead by archaeologist Daniel McCarthy to three desert sites to explore these larger-than-life images preserved on the desert floor. Attendees will meet at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms at 7:30 a.m., make a 230-mile rounds trip to Blythe, and return by 6 p.m. Carpooling is encouraged. The cost is $85 for Park Association members and $95 for nonmembers. To register, visit www.joshuatree.org or call 760-367-5539.
