Tribal monitors with the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians say what started as routine grading work at the Hidden Valley Ranch development in Poway has turned into a fight over sacred ground. They report uncovering human remains and cultural artifacts at the site and are now demanding that work be halted on part of the property. The discoveries, first reported in October and then again twice this month, include a jawbone buried beneath ancient grinding stones and skeletal material the monitors identify as an infant, an adolescent, and an adult. Tribal representatives say the pattern of finds points to a broader burial landscape, and they want full protection and access to what they describe as ancestral ground before construction moves forward.
Monitors recounted the discoveries at the 420-acre Hidden Valley Ranch site on the east side of Old Coach Road, a project approved for 41 single-family homes that is currently in the grading phase, according to the Times of San Diego. Along with the jawbone found beneath grinding stones, the tribe says other artifacts suggest the land has long been used for ceremonial purposes. The developer, Shea Homes, could not be reached for comment, and a Poway spokesperson declined to weigh in, according to the outlet…