Anasazi cliff dwellings & art of Canyon de Chelly National MonumentMay 17, 2007. We are camped in the free Cottonwood Campground at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, in northeastern Arizona.
Ancient Navajo art Canyon de Chelly
Our guide stops to let us look at ancient art on the canyon wall. There are ways to date when this art work was done. First you have men riding horses. That eliminates all the really ancient inhabitants of this canyon. Horses were introduced into this area by the Spanish so these had to be Hopi or Navajo drawings. It is possible that they could have been drawn prior to 1800 but most likely after 1800 in my opinion. Our guide told us they used horses to chase down the deer until the deer ran out of breath then one of the braves would jump off the horse onto the deer and sufficate it. That way the hide didn't have arrow or spear holes in it. I don't know if this is true, but it is what the guide told us.
A Cliff Dwellings Canyon de Chelly
This is our first glimpse of one of the ancient cliff dwellings scattered throughout Canyon de Chelly.
Anasazi Cliff Dwellings Canyon de Chelly
This is a closeup of that same set of cliff dwellings. These are constructed of sandstone or possibly some type of adobe bricks. That would probably date these ruins to sometime after 700 AD.
Anasazi cliff dwellings Canyon de Chelly
More Anasazi ruins. Get used to them because there are a lot of them in Canyon de Chelly.
Anasazi cliff dwellings Canyon de Chelly National Monument
More ruins high on the canyon wall.
Ancient Navajo artwork of Canyon de Chelly
This is one of the larger ruins and remarkably this one is not high on a cliff. The use of sandstone and possibly adobe dates this ruin to sometime after 700 AD.
Ancient Navajo artwork of Canyon de Chelly
More artwork on the canyon wall. This has to be done by early Navajo since they are riding horses that were introduced by the Spanish. My guess is sometime in the 1800's.
White House Anasazi cliff dwellings Canyon de Chelly National Monument
This is the "White House" ruins named for the center building that must have been constructed out of white adobe bricks.
I can't think of a better ending to a wonderful day. Click here for more Arizona travellogs or travel blogsUntil next time remember how good life is. Mike & Joyce Hendrix
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