Canyon de Chelly

Canyon de Chelly

Desert north of Canyon

On the way from visitors center to Canyon de Chelly, the south arm of the canyon

Canyon de Chelly, Chelly coming from Spanish borrowing of Navajo word for "inside rock"

White House Ruins in distance, 600 ft below rim and 1.5 miles away on rocky trail

On the way down...

...

...

...running down wasn't too bad.

White House Ruins, home of ancient Pueblo.  The Navajo referred to the Pueblo (their enemies) as the Anasazi, the same group that settled Mesa Verde, CO.  Pueblo lived here roughly 1,000 years ago.

Ceiling above White House Ruins.  Native Americans believed the black streaks came from the rain god.

That's where the hike began.

Headed back to the path for...

...the run back...Let's just say I stopped a lot for these pictures...

Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of Death), the north rim of Canyon de Chelly.  This cove is Massacre Cave, where Spanish soldiers killed 115 Navajo in 1805.  Spanish records claim they killed 90 Navajo warriors, while native sources claim the Spanish only killed women, children, and elderly seeking refuge.

The other side of Massacre Cave

Towards Mummy Cave

The path to get a bit closer...

Yucca Cave, an extremely old Pueblo settlement from at least 1,000 years ago

Close-up of oven at Yucca Cave

Horses 600 ft. down

The ride back through New Mexico