Canyon de Chelly Photos & Educational Videos
Reviewed and updated by AZ Leisure Staff Writers on .
Canyon de Chelly preserves thousands of years of human history within its dramatic sandstone canyons in northeastern Arizona. Archaeological evidence shows that people have lived in these canyons for nearly 5,000 years, including Archaic peoples, Basketmakers and Ancestral Puebloans who built villages, farmed canyon lands and created the remarkable cliff dwellings still visible today. Their descendants include modern Pueblo peoples, while Diné families continue to live, farm and raise livestock within Canyon de Chelly. The photos and educational videos below explore the canyon's archaeology, cultural history, ancient communities and enduring Native traditions.
Thousands Of Years Of Canyon de Chelly History
People have lived in Canyon de Chelly for nearly 5,000 years. Early Archaic people used the canyon seasonally, followed by Basketmaker communities that increasingly relied on farming. Ancestral Puebloans later constructed stone villages, including homes built within protected canyon alcoves. Hopi people maintained important connections to the canyon, and today Diné families continue to live, farm and raise livestock within Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
Ancestral Puebloans And The Term "Anasazi"
Older books, documentaries and websites often use the term "Anasazi" when referring to the ancestral Pueblo peoples of the Four Corners region. Today, Ancestral Puebloan or Ancestral Pueblo are generally preferred terms. The people who lived throughout this region created sophisticated farming communities, masonry villages, ceremonial spaces, rock art and cliff dwellings, and their descendants remain part of living Pueblo cultures throughout the Southwest.
Canyon de Chelly Educational Videos
The following videos explore Canyon de Chelly, ancient Puebloan life and the cultures of the greater Four Corners region. Some older videos use historical terminology that is no longer preferred today, but they can still provide useful perspectives on archaeology, architecture and life in the ancient Southwest.
My Name is Round Moustache
Meet "Round Moustace" a Zuni-Navajo Canyon de Chelly Guide who shares historic stories passed down by his ancestors as he guides a trek into the sacred canyons. Worth the 29 minute educational look into the ancient past of Canyon de Chelly.
Ancient Puebloan Life In The Southwest
Ancestral Puebloan communities built remarkable stone villages throughout the Four Corners region, including structures protected within natural cliff alcoves. Canyon de Chelly preserves outstanding examples of these settlements and provides important evidence of farming, architecture, community life and cultural traditions that developed over many centuries.
History Of Ancestral Puebloan Civilizations
Ancestral Puebloan communities developed sophisticated architecture, farming systems and social traditions across the Southwest. Stone and adobe homes, kivas, agricultural fields and extensive trade networks reveal complex communities adapted to challenging desert and high-desert environments. Many cultural traditions associated with these ancient communities continue through their modern Pueblo descendants.
Canyon de Chelly Photos
Canyon de Chelly's sandstone cliffs, ancient villages and sweeping canyon landscapes provide a visual record of thousands of years of human history. White House Ruins is one of the monument's best-known archaeological sites, while views from the canyon rims reveal the scale of a landscape that remains home to Diné families today.
A Living Diné Cultural Landscape
Canyon de Chelly is not simply an archaeological site. Diné families continue to live within the canyon, raising livestock, farming and maintaining connections to a landscape that remains culturally significant today. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is managed through a partnership between the Navajo Nation and the National Park Service, helping preserve both its archaeological resources and its continuing cultural importance.
See Canyon de Chelly In Person
Visitors can explore Canyon de Chelly from paved North and South Rim scenic drives and multiple overlooks. The White House Overlook and Trail currently provide the monument's only public self-guided trail into the canyon, while other canyon-floor experiences require an authorized Navajo guide. See our visitor information and directions pages before planning your trip.
Canyon de Chelly Visitor Information
Canyon de Chelly Maps & Directions
Canyon de Chelly Camping
Canyon de Chelly History & Photos FAQ
How long have people lived in Canyon de Chelly?
Archaeological evidence indicates that people have lived in Canyon de Chelly for nearly 5,000 years, making it one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes on the Colorado Plateau.
Who built the cliff dwellings at Canyon de Chelly?
Many of Canyon de Chelly's best-known stone villages and cliff dwellings were constructed by Ancestral Puebloan communities that lived and farmed in the canyon centuries ago.
Is "Anasazi" still the preferred term?
Ancestral Puebloan or Ancestral Pueblo are generally preferred today. The older term "Anasazi" still appears in historic books and documentaries but is considered inappropriate by many Pueblo people.
What is White House Ruins?
White House Ruins is one of Canyon de Chelly's best-known Ancestral Puebloan village sites, built beneath a natural sandstone alcove within the canyon.
Do Native American families still live in Canyon de Chelly?
Yes. Diné families continue to live, farm and raise livestock within Canyon de Chelly, making the monument both an archaeological landscape and a living cultural homeland.
Can visitors hike to White House Ruins?
The White House Overlook and Trail are currently open. The approximately 2.5-mile round-trip trail descends about 600 feet and is the only public trail into the canyon that can be hiked without a guide or permit.
Can visitors enter other areas of the canyon?
Most canyon-floor travel outside the public White House Trail requires an authorized Navajo guide and appropriate backcountry authorization.
Plan Your Visit Resources
Canyon de Chelly
Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation
Education Videos and Anasazi People History
Suggested Reading and Other Information
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