Canyon de Chelly - View from Sliding House Overlook is a photograph by Alexandra Till which was uploaded on August 27th, 2013.
Title
Canyon de Chelly - View from Sliding House Overlook
Artist
Alexandra Till
Medium
Photograph - Photographs - Prints - Digital Images - Cards - Posters - Photo-calendars - Photo Art
Description
© Christine Till
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "De Shay") in Arizona was established in 1931 as a National Monument encompassing three major canyons. The steep stained walls preserve ancient ruins of the once thriving Anasazi Indians. There are over 700 ruin sites, petroglyphs and cliff dwellings from the prehistoric Anasazi and historic Navajo periods.
The Navajo know this prehistoric Anasazi village site as Kinhoozhi, which means 'Sliding House'. It is an apt description. The dwellings were constructed upon a steeply sloping ledge, and even the ingenius Anasazi builders were unable to keep many of the walls from slipping. Despite the precarious footing, evidence suggests that at one time this was a large village of from 30 to 50 rooms. Occupation of the site probably began around AD 900 and continued for about 300 years.
Navajo people still live within the Canyon de Chelly National Monument and farm the fertile valleys the way their ancestors did centuries ago. Natural depressions at the Sliding House Overlook collect water, still sometimes used by the Navajo.
Uploaded
August 27th, 2013