10/20/10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE La Cuna de Azlan Sacred Sites Protection Circle Alfredo Acosta Figueroa, Coordinator/Elder Historian 424 North Carlton Ave. Blythe, Ca 92225 Phone: (760) 922-6422. Email: lacunadeaztlan@aol.com Freshwater Bay Pictures, LLC Robert Lundahl, Principal 833 So. Cedros Ave. #50 Solana Beach, CA 92075 Phone: (415) 205-3481. Email: robert@studio-rla.com AMERICAN INDIAN RUNNERS TO FOLLOW ANCIENT TRAILS IN MOHAVE DESERT SPIRITUAL JOURNEY The Trails Link Sacred Sites and Cultural Resources Threatened by Mohave Desert Solar Construction. Blythe, CA—The Blythe Giant Intaglios have a story to tell. According to Chemehuevi elder historian, Alfredo Figueroa, the giant 200-foot long figures on the desert floor outside Blythe, California, represent Woman, Man and the Creator in the Uto-Aztecan cosmological view. On Saturday, October 30, beginning with a Sunrise Ceremony, a sacred run/trek will commence at the Blythe Intaglios (15 miles north of Blythe on Highway 95), and proceed through 10 endangered sacred sites. It will be concluded by a “New Fire Ceremony”, featuring Aztec dancers from Danza Cuautemoc, to be held at dusk, 100 yards from the Mesa Verde offramp on Highway 10 (at Mesa Drive). A press conference will take place at the Midland Visitors Center, 2 miles North of Blythe on Lovekin Blvd at noon. Refreshments and light smacks will be served. The Blythe Intaglios are not alone. Filmmakers Robert Lundahl and Robert Gonzales Vasquez have documented scores of geoglyphs in the nearby desert, and local historians indicate the presence of thousands of figures along the Colorado River between Blythe and Needles. But when the German solar energy company Solar Millennium, with the help of Chevron, applied for a permits to build an industrial solar facility on BLM lands, the features, which can best be seen from the air, were overlooked. Project lands for the Blythe Solar construction on 7500 acres contain wellknown geoglyphs including Kokopilli, Cicmitl, El Tosco, the 16 layer Temple, and other features. Flaked quartz left as offerings over hundreds of years by native peoples indicate the cultural importance of the sites planned for destruction if Blythe Solar is built as planned. The California Energy Commission approved the project application citing “overriding concerns,” referring to the Stateʼs mandate to implement renewable energy sources under the 33% Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (by 2020), and the BLM similarly approved the construction, disputing the age of certain features and ignoring others. La Cuna de Aztlán Sacred Sites Protection Circle is hosting the event to draw public attention to these unique, historical and cultural features some say are related to Aztec culture, and to promote solar energy done right, on already distressed lands and rooftops. The event is also sponsored by the Chemhuevi tribe, Californians for Renewable Energy, Inland Mexican Heritage, and La Escuela de la Raza Unida. Aerial video of sacred sites may be seen at Freshwater Bay Pictures/Advocacy Films website, http://www.advocacyfilms.com. #
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