Chinle Soil & Water Conservation District

Chinle is a part of the Navajo Nation located in the North-Eastern corner of the state.

Chinle is the gateway into the Canyon de Chelly (pictured right). “Millions of years of land uplifts and stream cutting created the colorful sheer cliff walls of Canyon de Chelly. Natural water sources and rich soil provided a variety of valuable resources, including plants and animals that have sustained families for thousands of years. The Ancient Puebloans found the canyons an ideal place to plant crops and raise families. The first settlers built pit houses that were then replaced with more sophisticated homes as more families migrated to the area. More homes were built in alcoves to take advantage of the sunlight and natural protection. People thrived until the mid-1300s when the Puebloans left the canyons to seek better farmlands.”