Canyon de Chelly National Monument (/dəˈʃeɪ/ də-SHAY) was established on April 1, 1931, as a unit of the National Park Service. Located in northeastern Arizona, it is within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation and lies in the Four Corners
region. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited
landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the indigenous tribes
that lived in the area, from the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly known as Anasazi) to the Navajo. The monument covers 83,840 acres (131 sq mi; 339 km2)
and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de
Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with
headwaters in the Chuska Mountains just to the east of the monument. None of the land is federally owned. Canyon de Chelly is one of the most visited national monuments in the United States.
Etymology
The name Chelly (or Chelley) is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word Tséyiʼ, which means "canyon" (literally "inside the rock" < tsé "rock" + -yiʼ "inside of, within"). The Navajo pronunciation is [tséɣiʔ]. The Spanish pronunciation of de Chelly [deˈtʃeʎi] was adapted into English, apparently through modelling after a French-like spelling pronunciation, and now /dəˈʃeɪ/ də-SHAY.
History
Canyon de Chelly long served as a home for Navajo people before it was invaded by forces led by future New Mexico governor Lt. Antonio Narbona in 1805. In 1863, Col. Kit Carson sent troops through the canyon, killing 23 Indians, seizing 200 sheep, and destroying hogans,
as well as peach orchards and other crops. The resulting demoralization
led to the surrender of the Navajos and their removal to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico.
Description
Canyon
de Chelly is entirely owned by the Navajo Tribal Trust of the Navajo
Nation. It is the only National Park Service unit that is owned and
cooperatively managed in this manner. About 40 Navajo families live in the park.
Access to the canyon floor is restricted, and visitors are allowed to
travel in the canyons only when accompanied by a park ranger or an
authorized Navajo guide. The only exception to this rule is the White House Ruin Trail.
Spider Rock
The park's distinctive geologic
feature, Spider Rock, is a sandstone spire that rises 750 feet (229 m)
from the canyon floor at the junction of Canyon de Chelly and Monument
Canyon. Spider Rock can be seen from South Rim Drive. It has served
as the scene of a number of television commercials. According to
traditional Navajo beliefs, the taller of the two spires is the home of Spider Grandmother.
Most park visitors arrive by automobile and view Canyon de Chelly
from the rim, following both North Rim Drive and South Rim Drive.
Ancient ruins and geologic structures are visible, but in the distance,
from turnoffs on each of these routes. Deep within the park is Mummy
Cave. It features structures that have been built at various times in
history. Private Navajo-owned companies offer tours of the canyon floor
by horseback, hiking or four-wheel drive vehicle. The companies can be
contacted directly for prices and arrangements. No entrance fee is
charged to enter the park, apart from any charges imposed by tour
companies.
Accommodations for visitors are located in the vicinity of the canyon, on the road leading to Chinle, which is the nearest town.
The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970.
Climate
The data below were compiled starting in 1908 via the WRCC.
| Canyon de Chelly National Monument | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canyon de Chelly, 1904, by Edward S. Curtis
| |||||||||||||
 
Location in the United States
| |||||||||||||
| Location | Apache County, Arizona | ||||||||||||
| Nearest city | Chinle | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36.1552818°N 109.5089952°W[1]Coordinates: 36.1552818°N 109.5089952°W | ||||||||||||
| Area | 83,840 acres (339.3 km2) | ||||||||||||
| Created | April 1, 1931 | ||||||||||||
| Visitors | 439,306 (in 2018) | ||||||||||||
| Governing body | Bureau of Indian Affairs | ||||||||||||
| Website | Canyon de Chelly National Monument | ||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 70000066 | ||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | August 25, 1970 | ||||||||||||
| Climate data for Canyon de Chelly, AZ | |||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
72 (22) |
82 (28) |
90 (32) |
101 (38) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
90 (32) |
79 (26) |
67 (19) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 57.2 (14.0) |
64.0 (17.8) |
72.6 (22.6) |
80.8 (27.1) |
89.1 (31.7) |
97.9 (36.6) |
99.1 (37.3) |
96.2 (35.7) |
91.8 (33.2) |
83.0 (28.3) |
70.3 (21.3) |
59.6 (15.3) |
99.9 (37.7) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 44.2 (6.8) |
51.0 (10.6) |
60.4 (15.8) |
69.1 (20.6) |
78.6 (25.9) |
89.2 (31.8) |
92.5 (33.6) |
89.4 (31.9) |
82.6 (28.1) |
70.2 (21.2) |
55.8 (13.2) |
44.9 (7.2) |
69.0 (20.6) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 19.1 (−7.2) |
23.6 (−4.7) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
35.7 (2.1) |
43.8 (6.6) |
52.0 (11.1) |
59.9 (15.5) |
58.7 (14.8) |
49.6 (9.8) |
37.6 (3.1) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
19.2 (−7.1) |
38.0 (3.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.6 (−18.1) |
7.3 (−13.7) |
14.4 (−9.8) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
37.7 (3.2) |
49.4 (9.7) |
48.6 (9.2) |
35.0 (1.7) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
10.9 (−11.7) |
1.9 (−16.7) |
−4.2 (−20.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −32 (−36) |
−22 (−30) |
1 (−17) |
9 (−13) |
10 (−12) |
20 (−7) |
38 (3) |
38 (3) |
23 (−5) |
13 (−11) |
−3 (−19) |
−27 (−33) |
−32 (−36) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.79 (20) |
0.69 (18) |
0.67 (17) |
0.53 (13) |
0.50 (13) |
0.28 (7.1) |
1.13 (29) |
1.25 (32) |
0.91 (23) |
0.99 (25) |
0.71 (18) |
0.71 (18) |
9.16 (233.1) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.6 (4.1) |
1.2 (3.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.4 (1.0) |
1.5 (3.8) |
5.8 (14.7) |
