Canyon de Chelly National Monument
| Canyon de Chelly National Monument | |||
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| Location: | Arizona , United States | ||
| Next city: | Flagstaff | ||
| Surface: | 339.3 km² | ||
| Founding: | April 1, 1931 | ||
| Visitors: | 881,783 (2004) | ||
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The Canyon de Chelly [ ˈkɛnjən dəˈʃeɪ ], Navajo : Tséyi '[ tséɣiʔ ] (German: rock canyon) is located in the Navajo Nation in the northeast of the US state Arizona . The closest town to the west end of the canyon is Chinle .
In 1931 the Canyon de Chelly National Monument was named Canyon de Chelly National Monument . It is under the administration of the National Park Service , but the land does not belong to them but to the Navajo . The name "de Chelly" is derived from "Tséyi '", which means "canyon" in the Navajo language .
The Canyon de Chelly National Monument covers a total area of around 340 km 2 . The three main canyons are the Canyon de Chelly with about 43 km, the Canyon del Muerto with 29 km and the Monument Canyon with 16 km.
There are numerous testimonies of human settlements in the canyons, which point to the first settlement around 4500 years ago.
landscape
The Colorado Plateau was formed about 60 million years ago when the earlier basin rose for the first time to later rise to become today's plateau. As the land rose, the rivers dug deeper and deeper into the rock. A second uplift, the Defiance Uplift, occurred about 10 million years later. The Canyon de Chelly was formed by rivers from the nearby Chuska Mountains , which carved themselves into the red sandstone of the Colorado Plateau during the slow uplift of over two million years and thus formed the bizarre canyon landscape.
At the exit, where the canyons meet, the rock walls are only a few meters high, inside the canyons they sometimes reach a height of over 300 meters. The Chinle Wash , which flows through the canyon, only carries water in the winter months; in summer the river bed is superficially dried out. The valley floor of the canyons is around 1,600 meters above sea level. M.
Attractions
Two roads lead along the edges of the canyons, the North Rim Drive at Canyon del Muerto and the South Rim Drive at Canyon de Chelly. The lookout points along the road offer views of the canyon and some of the pueblo ruins .
Rides, hikes, trips by 4x4 or camping in the canyon are only possible with permission and with a guide. Only the White House Trail is accessible without an escort .
Canyon de Chelly
- Spider Rock - two approximately 240 meter high pinnacles are the landmark of Canyon de Chelly. In Navajo mythology , the peaks are where the Spider Woman lives. According to tribal myths, she taught people the art of weaving and is still revered for it today, but she is also said to devour small disobedient children. (According to tradition, the white peaks are the bones of children).
- White House Ruin - a small settlement built around 1000 years ago during the early Pueblo culture . It consists of two parts, one at the foot of the rock face and a second a few meters above it in a rock niche. The outer wall of the upper house is made of white stone, hence the name. A two-kilometer path leads down to the ruins from the White House Overlook lookout point .
Canyon de Chelly was the filming location for the 1969 US western " Mackenna's Gold " by director J. Lee Thompson , starring Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif .
Canyon del Muerto
- Ledge Ruin - a two-story pueblo that was built around 900 years ago.
- Antelope House Ruin - built around the 12th century. In the early 18th century, Navajo inhabited the settlement. Rock carvings from this period depicting antelopes gave the settlement its name.
- Mummy Cave Ruin - was inhabited from the beginning of settlement up to around 1300 and is one of the largest pueblos in the canyon.
Settlement history
The settlement history of the canyons can be divided into five cultural sections.
2500 to 200 BC Chr.
Archaeological finds show that as early as 2500 BC BC people lived in this place. It is the oldest evidence of human settlement to date on the entire Colorado Plateau. From this time there is still no evidence of settlements that indicate a sedentary way of life. Apparently these were small nomadic groups who used the canyon as a starting point for hunting and collecting forays. Small camps under rock overhangs served as accommodation, drawings on the walls of these are among the most important witnesses of this first settlement.
200 BC Chr. To 750
200 BC The culture of the basket maker followed . They lived in small groups, were also hunters and gatherers, but also had knowledge of agriculture. The first permanent settlements are known from this time. Like their predecessors, they used the rock overhangs as a dwelling and they too left drawings on the surrounding walls.
750 to 1300
The Anasazi pueblo culture developed from the basketmaker culture . From around 750 the first larger pueblos were built here at the foot of the rock walls. It is still unclear what gave the impetus for this type of construction. Perhaps the space under the rock overhangs was no longer enough for the growing number of people, or perhaps it was simply the proximity to the fields.
1300 to 1700
At the beginning of the 14th century, the Anasazi left the Canyon de Chelly. Drought, overexploitation of the fields and certainly also disputes with other peoples were probably the cause. In search of areas that offered better living conditions, they moved further south and west.
In their place, other tribes came to this area , especially the Hopi . From the history of the Hopi it is known that they only used the land temporarily, for example for agriculture and as a hunting ground in summer.
At the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries, the Navajo, who call themselves Diné for “people” in their own language, came to the Colorado Plateau from the north. Like their predecessors, they used the bottom of the canyons and the land of the plateaus. Agriculture, fruit growing and animal husbandry were the foundations of their lives. Small settlements of Hogans , the traditional Navajo dwellings, emerged.
1700 to 1868
Around 1700 members of the Navajo used the canyon as a base for raids against pueblos further east. The main aim of their raids, however, was to free their tribesmen , who had meanwhile been treated as slaves . At the end of the 17th century there were armed conflicts between the Navajo, other tribes and the Spanish settlers from the Rio Grande . In the course of this, the canyon with its winding course and rock caves offered protection like a fortress. The Navajo built stone walls along the paths and stored food in hiding places. Nevertheless, the Spaniards, Ute and US troops invaded the canyon and left a picture of devastation. 115 Navajo were killed in a day-long battle. Since then, the scene of this fight has been called "Massacre Cave".
In 1863 a campaign against the Navajo began under the leadership of Colonel Kit Carson . Carson and his troops moved into the canyon from the east and drove the residents to the western exit. Many were killed or captured in the process. A little later Carson's troop returned once more and destroyed everything that was left after the first attack. The prisoners were taken to Fort Sumner, New Mexico , 300 miles away , in a march now called " The Long Walk " (Only 4,000 of the original 9,000 prisoners survived the march). In 1868 a contract was signed between the Navajo and the whites and after almost 5 years in the reservation they were finally able to return to their homeland.
Navajo families still live in the canyons today, farming and raising sheep.
Trivia
The Canyon de Chelly served as the backdrop for the Western Mackenna’s Gold in 1969 with Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif in the lead roles.
literature
- National Park Service: Canyon de Chelly Official Map and Guide
See also
Web links
- National Park Service: Canyon de Chelly National Monument (official site; English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ David M. Brugge, Raymond Wilson: Canyon de Chelly; Administrative History United States Department of the Interior; National Park Service, January 1976. Retrieved September 4, 2009
- Jump up ↑ Canyon de Chelly - Hidden Beauty . Retrieved September 4, 2009