Showing posts with label Canyon de Chelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canyon de Chelly. Show all posts

Monday, October 13, 2014

CANYON DE CHELLY NATIONAL MONUMENT - ARIZONA

One day we drove the north rim and the next day we drove the south rim of the canyon.  The north rim had beautiful cliff dwellings and the south offered panoramic views.  Archeological evidence shows that people have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years.

On the south rim we walked the 2.5 mile round trip trail to White House Ruin.  The ruin was built by ancestral Puebloan people and occupied about 1,000 years ago.  Going down into the canyon was easy but coming back up was a good cardio workout.



The canyon floor is still being farmed by the locals

Ruins from a distance

The hike was made interesting by several tunnels like this one


We're on the right trail
The White House Ruins are behind our heads

We went to mass at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and most of the people there were, of course, Navajo.  I found it interesting how they integrated some of their music, traditions and rituals into the mass.  The church was beautifully decorated.

The doors entering the church

The church was octagon shape with lots of wood and pottery