Canyon De Chelly (Canyon De Chelly National Monument) - located in the northeast of Arizona in the county of Apache within the limits of the Navajo nature reserve and covers an area of 339 km2. In 1931, it was declared a natural monument. It is managed by the National Park Service.
The name of the park comes from the Spanish name of the canyon, taken in turn from the Navajo language, in which the word tséyi means something located among the rocks or the canyon. Canyon de Chelly consists of two large canyons, in the south of the canyon de Chelly and in the north of the canyon del Muerto and a few smaller, among which the canyons of Black Rock and Monument are the most important.
The main material of the canyon walls is the bright red sandstone of the De Chelly formation formed in the Triassic, about 250 - 230 million years ago. These are rocks formed in the process of petrification of coarse dune sands. The wind (aeolian) genesis owes their characteristic diagonal layers. Canyons were cut down much later, the process of their creation began about 60 million years ago. And it lasts until today.
On the rock walls you can notice black infiltrations, their genesis was not clear for a long time. Finally, it was shown that the bacteria present in places of periodic water runoff catch airborne dusts and bind magnesium contained in minerals in rock walls.
The canyon was inhabited from around 2500 BC, it is evidenced by rock drawings - petroglyphs. The first known inhabitants of the canyon were representatives of Anasazi baskets basket culture from the end of the 3rd century AD During the next millennium, they moved from homes to homes built on rock performances. They learned to make beautiful ceramics and fabrics. Later, the Indians of the Hopi tribe came to the canyon, which in time were supplanted by the wandering members of the Navajo tribe. Navajo inhabit the canyon area from the late seventeenth century to today.
The picturesque scenery of the canyon of De Chelly is decorated with ruins of Indian houses from a few hundred years ago, such as White House, Antelope House. Worthy of note is the 240-meter long rock formation called Spider Rock, which is associated with the legend that a spider woman lives on the top. Spider Woman is one of the most important figures in the Navajo pantheon, as the legend says she loved people and saved them from extermination, and then taught people to weave on a loom.
Park opening hours: from 08:00 to 17:00 from October to April and from 8:00 to 18:00 from May to September.
