"Where Spider Woman still weaves from her spire, and the Navajo have never left home"
Canyon de Chelly
Chinle Agency, Arizona, United States
Canyon de Chelly rises 1,000 feet above a valley where Navajo families still farm, herd sheep, and practice traditions their ancestors carried here three centuries ago. At the canyon's heart, Spider Rock pierces the sky: the dwelling place of Spider Woman, who taught the Dine the art of weaving and the Beauty Way. This is the only National Park unit owned entirely by a Native American tribe, and entrance to the canyon floor requires a Navajo guide.
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Quick Facts
Location
Chinle Agency, Arizona, United States
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
36.1553, -109.5329
Last Updated
Jan 12, 2026
Learn More
Canyon de Chelly has been inhabited for 5,000 years, with major Ancestral Puebloan development from 700 to 1300 CE and Navajo presence since approximately 1700. The 1864 Long Walk forced removal of the Navajo, but the 1868 Treaty returned them to their homeland. The canyon became a National Monument in 1931, the only NPS unit entirely owned by a Native American tribe.
Origin Story
In the Navajo creation story, Spider Woman was given life in the Second World and descended to the Third World by spinning a silken web from the top of Spider Rock. She wove the web of the universe and taught the Dine the art of weaving, along with the Beauty Way, how living in harmony with the world creates balance in mind, body, and soul.
Spider Woman serves as advisor to the heroic twins Monster-Slayer and Born-for-Water. She taught the people agriculture and weaving, appears in many legends to protect the innocent, and restores harmony to the world. Her dwelling at the top of Spider Rock makes the canyon the location of cosmic instruction.
The teaching story told to children is darker: Spider Woman takes mischievous and disobedient children to the top of Spider Rock, where she boils and eats them. The white streaks at the top are the bleached bones of bad children. This story encourages proper behavior while acknowledging that the sacred is not merely comforting but also awesome.
Key Figures
Spider Woman
Na'ashjé'ii Asdzáá
deity
The deity who dwells atop Spider Rock and taught the Navajo the art of weaving and the Beauty Way. Central to Navajo cosmology and the canyon's sacred significance.
Kit Carson
historical
The U.S. Army officer who led the 1864 campaign through Canyon de Chelly, forcing Navajo surrender and initiating the Long Walk.
Saint Christodoulos
historical
The Treaty of 1868 allowed the Navajo to return to their homeland, consecrating Canyon de Chelly as sacred ground under sole Navajo administration.
Spiritual Lineage
The canyon's human lineage stretches back 5,000 years through Archaic peoples, Basketmaker culture, Ancestral Puebloans, and Navajo. Each culture built upon what came before while adding distinct contributions. The Ancestral Puebloans, whom the Navajo call 'ancient enemies' or 'ancient ones,' constructed the cliff dwellings between 700 and 1300 CE. Their departure, likely due to prolonged drought, left structures the Navajo later encountered and honored. Navajo presence began around 1700 CE. Unlike the cliff-dwelling builders, the Navajo settled the canyon floor, farming the bottomlands and herding sheep. Their relationship with the canyon has continued unbroken except for the Long Walk period, now over 150 years of continuous presence. The National Monument designation in 1931 created unique arrangement: federal protection with tribal ownership and administration. This model has preserved both archaeological resources and living cultural continuity.
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