--- title: "Trump wall construction damaged ancient carving, reports say" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-29T23:45:57.243Z" source_reported: "2026-09-29T19:29:32.387Z" updated: "2026-09-29T23:45:57.243Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 45 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-30T01:45:16.134130+00:00" --- # Trump wall construction damaged ancient carving, reports say *Ground artwork predates Egyptian pyramids, researchers estimate.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Six digests agree on the central claim, but no full reports or named sources were provided. - Craft 45 of 100, higher is better. The digests provide a basic account but lack detail, context, or quotes from affected parties. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The headline is factual and the digests do not add sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Border wall construction damaged an ancient ground carving called the Las Playas intaglio. - Researchers estimate the carving is at least two thousand years older than the first Egyptian pyramid. - The artwork is also older than Stonehenge, according to recent estimations. - All six reports on the story came from NBC outlets, with no coverage from right-rated publications. Construction of the US-Mexico border wall under the Trump administration damaged an ancient ground carving, known as the Las Playas intaglio. Researchers' recent estimations suggest the artwork is at least two thousand years older than the first Egyptian pyramid. The carving is also older than Stonehenge. ## What the coverage left out None of the six reports mentioned the specific location of the Las Playas intaglio carving. No right-rated outlet ran this story. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 83% (5) - Centre: 17% (1) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-30T01:45:16.134130+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 9 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-30T02:00:16.637Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Four of the five left-rated reports led with the headline that Trump's border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge. All four digests stated that the Las Playas intaglio carving of a huge fish is at least two thousand years older than the first Egyptian pyramid, according to researchers’ recent estimations. ### Centre - The single centre-rated report used the headline that Trump's border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge. Its digest stated that the Las Playas intaglio carving of a huge fish is at least two thousand years older than the first Egyptian pyramid, according to recent estimations. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 6 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [themondonews.com](https://themondonews.com/science/president-trumps-border-wall-constructed-on-ancient-land-predating-stonehenge) — President Trump's border wall constructed on ancient land predating Stonehenge - [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trumps-border-wall-construction-cut-ancient-ground-carving-older-stone-rcna600217) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge - [NBC New York](https://nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/trump-border-wall-carving-stonehenge/6553630) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge - [NBC Chicago](https://nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-border-wall-carving-stonehenge/3995409) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge - [NBC Dallas-Fort Worth](https://nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/trump-border-wall-carving-stonehenge/4084369) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge - [NBC LA](https://nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/trump-border-wall-carving-stonehenge/3948897) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge - [NBC Bay Area](https://nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/trump-border-wall-carving-stonehenge/4150452) — Trump’s border wall construction cut into an ancient ground carving older than Stonehenge ## Questions **What ancient artwork was damaged by the border wall construction?** The Las Playas intaglio, a large ground carving of a fish, was damaged by construction for the US-Mexico border wall. Researchers estimate this artwork is significantly older than other ancient structures. **How old is the Las Playas intaglio carving estimated to be?** Researchers' recent estimations suggest the Las Playas intaglio carving is at least two thousand years older than the first Egyptian pyramid. This places its creation significantly before Stonehenge as well. **Which news outlets reported on the damaged carving?** Six reports covered the story, all from NBC outlets: NBC News, NBC New York, NBC Chicago, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, NBC LA, and NBC Bay Area. No right-rated publications carried the story. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump wall construction damaged ancient carving, reports say", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-wall-construction-damaged-ancient-carving-reports-say