Grand Canyon Lost Civilization

What is the Grand Canyon Lost Civilization?

The Grand Canyon Lost Civilization is a pseudoarchaeological idea of an Egyptian civilization that lived within caves in the Grand Canyon. The original article covering the "civilization" says that "Nearly a mile underground, about 1480 feet below the surface, the long main passage has been delved into, to find another mammoth chamber from which radiates scores of passageways, like the spokes of a wheel." The report of the caves in which the Egyptians supposedly lived goes on in the Newspaper to describe the size and shape of the room as well as the artifacts that were reportedly found. The caves haven't been seen since the initial discovery and there are no genuine artifacts from them around.

What is the pseudoarchaeological narrative associated with the site/artifact?

According to "How Stuff Works" G.E. Kincaid discovered large caves in 1909 that were "full of artifacts, including statues, copper weapons, even granaries full of seeds". The article also claims that "50,000 people could live inside comfortably". Kincaid said that he "was journeying down the Colorado river in a boat, alone, looking for mineral." when he found the caves. The caves were also reportedly inaccessible due to the "sheer walls and a series of rough rapids", so there wasn't much of an investigation into the contents and existence of the caves in 1909. Kincaid states in the newspaper that "Over a hundred feet from the entrance is the cross-hall, several hundred feet long, in which are found the idol, or image, of the people’s god, sitting cross-legged, with a lotus flower or lily in each hand." This is what led him to believe the cave could possibly be Tibetan.

The caves were said to be found by "Smithsonian Institution explorer G.E. Kincaid" and investigated by "Smithsonian anthropologist S.A. Jordan", but according to "Smithsonian Magazine", "No records can confirm the existence of either Kincaid or Jordan."

What is the Real Story Behind the Caves?

The Hopi Tribe

Map of the Hopi Nation and the three Mesas

Map of the Hopi Reserve to the right

If the caves exist, they were likely made by the Hopi people, an indigenous tribe that traveled down the Grand Canyon on annual pilgrimages. The Hopi people have lived in Arizona for over 2000 years, but they can trace their history back even farther in South America, Central America, and Mexico. While not much is known about the Hopi people and their culture, it is known that they "made annual pilgrimages to the sipapuni for yellow clay, then on to a Grand Canyon cave along the Colorado River to gather salt." The Hopi people live on top and at the base of three mesas just south of Black Mesa.

Caves or No Caves?

It is unclear whether the the caves actually exist. There haven't been few if any reports of archeological investigations since the initial investigation done by a "Smithsonian" archeologist. And even that investigation is unlikely to have genuinely happened because there are no records of "S.A. Jordan" have actually existed.

Another source has a proposed location for Kincaid's cave, but they have not checked that location to see if the cave is genuinely there.

So What?

The pseudoarchaeological narrative is detrimental to the general public's trust in genuine archaeology. Sources like "Britamerica Magazine" that make claims that the existence of the caves and Egyptian artifacts is being "covered up" to hide the truth lead to a loss of trust between the general public, especially those who believe in conspiracy theories, and the scholarly archaeological community. When countless sources give the same message, like "The cover-up theory suggests that The Smithsonian and other “powers-that-be” have a vested interest in making sure that anything that disproves conventional history, especially a discovery of this magnitude, is suppressed before it shatters the status quo, the perceived reality." it undermines the validity of the genuine archaeology being performed in other areas and attempts to rewrite the history of our nation. There were no Egyptians living in caves in the Grand Canyon or archaeologists would have found evidence of their arrival from one of the coasts to the Grand Canyon.