Canyon de Chelly: nature and Anasazi Indians

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The Canyon de Chelly National Monument is located in northeastern Arizona in the Navajos Indian reservation. The park entrance is located near the town of Chinle. The territory around the canyon is monotonous, flat and desert. But once you arrive, unexpectedly, the desert shows two deep canyons of a beauty that rivals the Grand Canyon. But even more important are the many Anasazi Indian ruins. Here are over 700 petroglyph sites that are found along the canyon walls. Some of these works date back as far as two thousand years ago and reflect the importance of this area in the past two thousand years.

The park, which actually consists of two distinct canyons, the Canyon de Chelly and the Canyon del Muerto, is located at a height that varies between 1,700 and 2,100 meters. The canyons have a depth that in some points exceeds 300 meters, they were excavated in the Defiance Plateau by the Rio de Chelly and Rio del Muerto.

Two roads run alongside the two canyons and allow a view of the gorges and some of the Indian ruins. Some paths lead to the most interesting attractions. To visit are undoubtedly the White House Ruin, the Antelope House and the spectacular Spider Rock, a rock 250 meters high that rises at the confluence of two gorges.