Canyon de Chelly National Monument ( ) was established on April 1, 1931, as a unit of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. Located in northeastern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, it is within the boundaries of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

and lies in the Four Corners region. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the indigenous tribes that lived in the area, from the Ancestral Puebloans (also known as the Anasazi) to the Navajo. The monument covers 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 '' The Chuska Mountains are an elongate range on the southwest Colorado Plateau and within the Navajo Nation whose highest elevations approach 10,000 feet. The range is about 80 by 15 km (50 by 10 miles). It trends north-northwest and is cross ...

just to the east of the monument. None of the land is federally owned. Canyon de Chelly is one of the most visited national monuments in the United States.

Etymology

The name ''Chelly'' (or ''Chelley'') is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word'' '', which means "canyon" (literally "inside the rock" < ''tsé'' "rock" + ''-yiʼ'' "inside of, within"). The Navajo pronunciation is . The Spanish pronunciation of ''de Chelly'' was adapted into English, apparently modeled on a French-like

spelling pronunciation A spelling pronunciation is the pronunciation of a word according to its spelling when this differs from a longstanding standard or traditional pronunciation. Words that are spelled with letters that were never pronounced or that were not pronounc ...

, and is now .

History

Canyon de Chelly long served as a home for Navajo people before it was invaded by forces led by future

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

governor Lt. Antonio Narbona in 1805. In 1863, Col.

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

sent troops through the canyon, killing 23 Navajo, seizing 200 sheep, and destroying

hogan A hogan ( or ; from Navajo ' ) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or squ ...

s, as well as peach orchards and other crops. The resulting demoralization led to the surrender of the Navajos and their removal to

Bosque Redondo Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo. History On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of F ...

, New Mexico.

Description

Canyon 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. About 40 Navajo families live in the park. 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. The only exception to this rule is the White House Ruin Trail. A095, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA, Spider Rock, 2004

A095, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA, Spider Rock, 2004

The park's distinctive geologic feature, Spider Rock, is a sandstone spire that rises 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 Spider Grandmother ( Hopi ''Kokyangwuti'', Navajo ''Na'ashjé'ii Asdzáá'') is an important figure in the mythology, oral traditions and folklore of many Native American cultures, especially in the Southwestern United States. Southwest Ho ...

. Most park visitors arrive by automobile and view Canyon de Chelly from the rim, following both North Rim Drive and South Rim Drive. Ancient ruins and geologic structures are visible, but in the distance, from turnoffs on each of these routes. Deep within the park is Mummy Cave. It features structures that have been built at various times in history. Private Navajo-owned companies offer tours of the canyon floor by horseback, hiking or four-wheel drive vehicle. The companies can be contacted directly for prices and arrangements. No entrance fee is charged to enter the park, apart from any charges imposed by tour companies. Accommodations for visitors are located in the vicinity of the canyon, on the road leading to Chinle, which is the nearest town. The National Monument was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on August 25, 1970.

Climate

The data below were compiled starting in 1908 via the WRCC.

Gallery

File:Canyon de Chelly1.jpg, White House Ruin File:CACH-Antelope House 633e9c5e611443dcacce1ce649285c35.jpg, Antelope House Ruin File:Massacre Cave Overlook 3 (cropped).jpg, Massacre Cave File:Mummy Cave with snow.jpg, Snow at the canyon, with Mummy Cave in the background File:A094, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA, cliff dwelling, 2004.jpg, First Ruin File:Ancient ruins in the Cañon de Chelle 10055u.jpg, White House Ruin, Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1873 File:Canyon de Chelly.jpg, Aerial view File:CACHmap1 relief.png, Park map

References

External links

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''Canyon de Chelly''
(poem by

Simon Ortiz Simon J. Ortiz (born May 27, 1941) is a Native American writer, poet, and enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma. Ortiz is one of the key figures in the second wave of what has been called the Native American Renaissance. Ortiz's commitment t ...

, 1977) Accessed 2013 January 15 {{DEFAULTSORT:Canyon De Chelly National Monument 1931 establishments in Arizona Archaeological museums in Arizona Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona Arizona placenames of Native American origin Cliff dwellings Former populated places in Arizona Geography of the Navajo Nation Historic American Buildings Survey in Arizona Museums in Apache County, Arizona National Park Service National Monuments in Arizona Native American history of Arizona Native American museums in Arizona Protected areas established in 1931 Protected areas of Apache County, Arizona Former populated places in Apache County, Arizona Canyons and gorges of Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Apache County, Arizona Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona