Vacation 2001, Canyon de Chelly National Monument

canyon de chelly national monument, page one

During the summer of 2001, Rachelle and I took a vacation to visit National Parks and Monuments in Utah and Arizona. Following our visit to Arches National Park, we drove to Chinle, AZ and the next day we visited Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

Canyon de Chelly is located in Northeastern Arizona at the heart of the Navajo Reservation. Ancient Puebloans, called Anasazi by the Navajo, were the earliest inhabitants of the canyon, building homes in alcoves along the canyon walls. Ruins of these ancient dwellings can be seen throughout the canyon. Later the Hopi and then the Navajo settled in the canyon. When a final peace treaty between the United States and the Navajo was signed on June 1, 1868 and the boundaries for the reservation established, Canyon de Chelly was intentionally placed in the center.

The word "de Chelly" is a corruption of the Navajo word Tseyi, meaning "in the rock". Spanish diaries used the word Chegui when referring to the canyon and it was probably later spelled phonetically.

Canyon de Chelly is actually composed of several canyons; the viewpoints are along two of them: Canyon del Muerto to the North, and Canyon de Chelly to the South. The canyon was formed by streams cutting through the rock of the surrounding plateau as it was uplifted. At the mouth of the canyon near the Visitor Center, the canyon walls are only 30 feet high. But fifteen miles away, they rise more than 1,000 feet.

Click on the thumbnail to view a larger version of the photo.