Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. It encompasses some 131 square miles. It's extent includes the floors and rims of the three major canyons, Canyon de Chelly, Canyon del Muerto, and Monument Canyon.

What makes Canyon de Chelly unique is that it sustains a living community of Navajo people. These Navajo are connected to the landscape and it has for them, great historical and spiritual significance. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is an unusual partnership between the Navajo Nation and the federal government. The Navajo are responsible for the natural resources, and the National Park Service protects the many archaeological sites.

Early every spring, after the winter thaw, a dozen Navajo families still return to their old homesteads at the bottom of the canyons. It is believed that the canyon has sustained human civilization for over four thousand years. Early Anasazi, ancestors of the Ho...