Canyon De Chelly

May 2013

Canyon De Chelly National Monument (d'SHAY) is on the Navaho reservation in northeast Arizona.  It is the home of Navahos today, and has been for them and other societies before them, continuously, for almost 5,000 years.  There are many ruins of prehistoric dwellings in the canyon, some of them quite well-preserved.

There are also a number of petroglyphs and pictographs from Anasazi and other cultures.

We bought a piece of native art from an artist, and he explained some of the symbols of the Navaho culture:

The name De Chelly is a Spanish corruption of the Navajo word "Tsegi", which means roughly "rock canyon". The Spanish pronunciation "day shay-yee" has gradually changed through English usage, and the name is now pronounced "d'SHAY".

There is a famous geologic feature in the canyon, called Spider Rock

More pictures.