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This image was taken on a trip to Arizona in the winter of 2009. Canyon del Muerto is a fork of Canyon de Chelly near the town of Chinle. I had seen a photo of this pictograph in a journal on American Southwest Native Art. There was no name or indication of where it was. After a couple of days of asking around I couldn't find anyone who knew where this pictograph was.
Finally I met a young Navajo man who thought perhaps his father might know. It turned out his father did know, so we hired the young fellow and he took us by 4x4 jeep and found the site.
It is located way up Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of Death) in a little alcove at the cliff base. Not many people ever see this pictograph. It was painted by Navajo in the latter 16th century and depicts the Spanish Horsemen and their attempts to kill the Navajo people. The Spaniards thought the land would be rich in Gold and silver.
This painting records a brutal time in Navajo history with such events as "massacre cave" and the "winter seige near junction overlook". You can see the horsemen and the colourful pinto ponies as well as antelope. To me this is beautiful artwork.