iPod Aztec

Have you heard about the “iPod Aztec”? This is a natural formation (part of a river valley actually) in southeastern Alberta that’s the local equivalent of the famous “Face on Mars”. It bears a remarkable resemblance to a human in left profile with a sloping forehead, wearing a feathered headdress, and bearing distinctive features of eye, nose, and lips, even extending down to neck and shoulder. The “iPod” designation is from a private roadway and wellsite that ends right where his ear should be, looking for all the world like an iPod. I prefer to think of him as Napi, a.k.a. “Old Man”, the creator-trickster god of the plains, forever facing west, towards the mountains. Maybe he slept there one night, leaving the impression of his face in the land.

The “Aztec” was the subject of a piece on CBC Radio’s “As it Happens” at the end of October, thus his current notoriety. He was discovered by one of many devotees of Google Earth, something which (as a result of this piece), has become one of my “guilty pleasures” lately. He may also be viewed from the Maps search under Google. The coordinates, if you want to “Google” him for yourself, are 50 00 38.20 N, 110 06 48.32 W

Being in the oil industry, I was able to identify the actual well, but I know that anyone trying to get close to it these days will face a locked gate and a “No Trespassing” sign, since an oil company is engaging in active operations there.