On Saturday May 15 we’ll return to Canyon de Chelly, AZ on the first leg of our inaugural Southwest Highlights trip.   One of the highlights of our personal jeep trip through the canyon is seeing Spider Woman Rock.  Legend has it that a woman who weaved used to live at the base of this magnificent formation.  The rugs that she wove were all patterned with straight lines but they didn’t sell well.  One day she watched a spider weaving its web and she decided to mimic that spider in the patterns on her rugs.  When they started to sell she taught other women to do the same.  The Park Service calls this formation Spider Rock but the Navajo’s call it Spider Woman Rock.

Here is a Navajo weaver whom we met on last year’s August Best of the West trip in her hogan inside Canyon de Chelly.  A hogan is a six sided structure with the door facing east to greet the new day’s sun.  This weaver’s family is one of a dozen Navajo families who return to the canyon each spring and continue to live the traditions of their ancestors.  They raise their own sheep and pick the wool and spin it as you can see in the photo.  They use roots, leaves and rocks to dye the wool and they use the same basic looms that have been used for centuries.  You can buy rugs direct from the weaver as one of our travelers did.  Our next Best of the West trip in June 8 – 17 with seats available.

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