Ruins of Navajo ancients in Canyon De Chelly National monument. This shows the A long view of the ruins built into the cliff


Canyon de Chelly National Monument (/dəˈʃeɪ/ də·shā′) was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of the National Park Service. It is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the Ancient Pueblo Peoples (also called Anasazi) and Navajo. The monument covers 83,840 acres ( sq mi; km2) and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the Chuska mountains just to the east of the monument. None of the land is federally owned. In 2009 Canyon de Chelly National Monument was recognized as one of the most-visited national monuments in the United States. anyon de Chelly is entirely owned by the Navajo Tribal Trust of the Navajo Nation. It is the only National Park Service unit that is owned and cooperatively managed in this manner.[8][9] Approximately 40 Navajo families live in the park.[10] Access to the canyon floor is restricted, and visitors are allowed to travel in the canyons only when accompanied by a park ranger or an authorized Navajo guide.[11] The only exception to this rule is the White House Ruin Trail. Spider Rock The park's distinctive geologic feature, Spider Rock, is a sandstone spire that rises 750 feet (229 m) from the canyon floor at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument Canyon. Spider Rock can be seen from South Rim Drive. It has served as the scene of a number of television commercials. According to traditional Navajo beliefs the taller of the two spires is the home of Spider Grandmother.[12]


Size: 3072px × 2048px
Location: Canyon De Chelly, National Monument, Chinle, AZ USA
Photo credit: © Vincent Palermo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: american, ancient, arizona, attractions, az, canyon, chelly, chinle, cliff, de, desert, dwellers, historic, indian, indians, monument, monuments, nation, national, navajo, places, register, rock, ruins, sonoran, spider, tourist, visited