I love to drive. I love to drive off road more. I love to drive my truck off road following my Navajo guide, David through a majestic canyon to see ancient petroglyphs and cliff dwellings. (By the way, David tried to lose me in the deep sands and hairpin turns. He failed). The canyon floor was several inches thick with sand and trees, and smelled of jasmine. It is a place of awe and wonderment.
Canyon de Chelly seems to me to be the quiet, stunning sibling of the Grand Canyon. It is located entirely within the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona. David was born and raised in the canyon and it is still a living community of Navajo (or Dine')
people. But many choose to live outside the canyon explained David because they want color TV. The canyon has sustained communities for more than 4,000 years from the Ancient Puebloans, to the Hopi and Navajo. The Ancient Puebloans built structures into the naturally protective cliffs. Some of the petroglyphs date to around 800 A.D. A number of them were placed at slightly above eye level from the ground; others were carved very high up the cliff face and were more difficult to see in the rock.
I LOVE the colors of this part of the country. We visited Shiprock, and Four Corners, but didn't have time for the Chelly Canyon - seeing John's photos now, I really regret that. I hadn't thought about the petroglyphs as "art in natural outdoor space" so much as a record/museum for the people living there. Guess I'll have to rethink this!
ReplyDeleteThese photos are great, Alicia & John! I am in live with this trip but I guess odyssey would be a more appropriate word. Really loved Las Vegas, NM. What an elegant near-gohst town, definately on my list, along with Marfa, Mesa Verde etc etc. Also crazy about the vintage signage, just love it.
ReplyDeleteGreat, great tour!