Canyon de Chelly National Monument ( ) was established on April 1, 1931 as a unit of the
National Park Service. It is located in northeastern
Arizona within the boundaries of the
Navajo Nation. Reflecting one of the longest continuously inhabited landscapes of North America, it preserves ruins of the early indigenous tribes that lived in the area, including the
Ancient Pueblo Peoples (also called Anasazi) and
Navajo. The monument covers and encompasses the floors and rims of the three major canyons: de Chelly, del Muerto, and Monument. These canyons were cut by streams with headwaters in the
Chuska mountains just to the east of the monument. None of the land is federally owned. In 2009 Canyon de Chelly National Monument was recognized as one of the most-visited
national monuments in the United States.