The interest in traditional Native American culture and history is ever-growing and tourism attached to this is booming, especially in the Southwest. From Colorado and Utah to the Mexican border, visiting the homelands of the USA’s first peoples is a rich experience that is not to be missed, and there are numerous National Parks (NPs) that should be on your “bucket list”. The Grand Canyon is the best known of these – but there are so many others to discover and explore!
Here we look at just a few notable natural attractions on traditional Native American lands in the Southwest.
Mesa Verde National Park
Located in Colorado, Mesa Verde NP was established in 1906 specifically to preserve the archaeological heritage of the Ancestral Puebloan people for whom this region was home from 600-1300 CE. Twenty-four tribes are closely associated with this landscape, inclusive of New Mexico’s nineteen Pueblo Tribes (one of which is the Zuni), the Navajo Nation, and the Hopi. It incorporates almost 5,000 identified archaeological sites including hundreds of cliff dwellings.
Canyonlands National Park
This NP encompasses hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the high desert of southeast Utah. With colorful canyons, arches, spires, buttes, mesas, and more, it is important to numerous Pueblo tribes (including the Hopi and Zuni) and Ute/Paiute peoples, many of whom still live on its lands. Of particular interest is Horseshoe Canyon for its amazing, ancient sacred rock art.
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
The location of the USA’s tallest sand dunes, this region in Colorado has been inhabited by humans for more than 11,000 years. The Dine (Navajo), Southern Ute, Jicarilla Apache, and Pueblo peoples are deeply connected to these lands. Visiting in summer affords opportunities to enjoy traditional dance, crafts, storytelling, and more at the Visitor Center and Amphitheater. It’s also a great spot for some stargazing.
Arches National Park
Situated in Utah, this sacred, powerful area was home to hunter-gatherer tribes more than 10,000 years ago. Ancestral Puebloans settled in this area 2000 years ago, growing beans, squash, and maize. Several tribes remain connected to the spectacular landscape, including the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, some Ute and Paiute tribes, and others.
Bryce Canyon National Park
This incredible area is home to the world’s largest concentration of “otherworldly” hoodoos. A hoodoo is a tall, thin rock spire formed over millions of years by natural erosion. It remains an important landscape for the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, Ute, and Southern Paiute tribes and is a stunning vantage point to enjoy clear, starry skies at night.
Saguaro National Park
Humans have lived in the harsh Arizona climate of the desert lands of the Saguaro NP for over 12,000 years, and it was first inhabited by the Hohokam people. Its heritage is shared by several tribes including the Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Zuni, Apache, Pima, Maricopa, and others. Its lands are biodiverse, and it is particularly notable for its towering, spectacular cacti.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Nearest the Mescalero (Apache) Reservation, this NP has plenty to explore both above and below the ground. It is important to many Native Americans, including but not limited to several Apache tribes as well as the Comanche, Kiowa, Piro-Mansi-Tiwa, and Zuni. Features include ancient cook rings and pictographs, limestone caves with bats, rock formations, natural springs and, above the ground, hummingbirds and flowering cacti.
White Sands National Park
This New Mexico landscape has North America’s longest human record at over 23,000 years and encompasses the bright white sand dunes of the Tularosa Basin. At first glance it seems desolate; in reality, it supports a thriving, complex ecosystem of many hundreds of animal and plant species. There are even very ancient fossilized human footprints. It is of particular significance to today’s Mescalero Apache, Piro, Lipan Apache, and Tampachoa peoples.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
This was the third National Monument dedicated to the preservation of Native American culture. Established in 1906, it is the ruins of a five-story dwelling burrowed into a limestone cliff located in central Arizona. Built by the Sinagua People who were settled in the area from 600-1450 CE, it is an architectural marvel featuring more than twenty-four rooms built with stone and mortar and situated almost 100 feet above the ground. This prevented flooding from Beaver Creek, which flows by the cliff.
There are many other National Parks with Native connections to visit – including but not limited to Zion NP, Capitol Reef NP, Petrified Forest NP, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Great Basin NP, and, of course, the Grand Canyon NP.
There are also several important places to visit in the Navajo Nation, such as Monument Valley – we’ll look at these in our next article, so come back for that!
A Special Memento…
When you wish to take home a special memento of your vacation to Native American lands, it’s important to ensure that you are purchasing high-quality items that are genuine in both their materials and craftsmanship. This means buying authentic Native-American-made jewelry, blankets, and arts and crafts from legitimate Native artisans.
When you purchase products online from Indian Traders, all Native American jewelry (unless otherwise stated) is handcrafted by local Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni artisans and silversmiths to the highest quality, using genuine turquoise, coral, jet, and other semi-precious stones. Sales of these items directly support these artists’ communities.
Native American blankets and associated products sold at Indian Traders come to us from the legendary Pendleton Woolen Mills. Learn more about these here and here.