Las Vegas Wash Intaglio (Clark County, Nevada)

*Image courtesy of Google Earth

After visiting the Blythe Intaglios last year, I'm always open to hearing of additional geo-glyphs in my travels. One such site came to my attention a few months ago. Near Las Vegas, anthropologists identified an area that contained a earthen formation created by the ancient Native American inhabitants of the area. A geo-glyph or intaglio is a form of rock art that uses the earth itself or the lack thereof to form an image. Differing from petroglyphs and pictographs, which are images etched or painted onto rocks, geo-glyphs are created on the landscape itself. The most famous example of this form of rock are known as the Nazca Lines in the high country of Peru.

I park the jeep along the highway and walk a paved path along a residential area and golf course only to find a fenced area with federal no trespassing signs. I circle the area, but I'm unable to make heads or tails of the intaglio. Having reviewed Google Earth, I had some idea what I was looking for, but it wasn't really visible from behind the fence at ground level. Unfortunate, but at least I can take consolation in knowing the anthropological treasure is protected.