Canyon de Chelly, Anasazi cliff dwellings: it is believed that the first inhabitants of Canyon de Chelly (there at least by A.D. 200) came from Asia across the Bering Land Bridge during the Ice Age. This group was known as the Anasazi (or as our Navajo guide said his parents expressed it, "Anasigh" - the ones who came before), who occupied the plateau area of the Southwest, including the famous Chaco Canyon area in New Mexico which was more densely settled. The homes they are noted for were pueblos, built of stone, mud, and poles, often set in recesses in the canyon walls for protection from floods and attack (and only accessible by tall one pole ladders, or hand & foot holds carved in the canyon wall). Some buildings were reserved for grain storage; the round kivas were for ceremonial purposes. In addition to the remains of their cliff dwellings, you may also see petroglyphs and pictographs decorating the walls of the canyon, sometimes added to by the later Navajo.

Can you see the hand and foot holds carved into the cliff? (Click to see the larger view.)		Houses were mysteriously abandoned about A.D. 1300, perhaps due to a severe drought.

 

Antelope House Ruin had a watchtower as well as an underground kiva.
Its name comes from the paintings of antelopes on a nearby clff wall.

White House Ruins were originally constructed both on the canyon floor and 50 feet up the cliff wall in a cave. It is one of the largest ruins in the canyon, containing 80 rooms. When were were there, we found a crew from CBS busy filming a pilot television show, which seemed to have little to do with the setting!