The Ancient People

This, the heart of the Dinetah, is where the Navajos learned to be Navajo.

In remote and lonely spots, it is easy to imagine that you are the first person to have been there, but the Largo Canyon, filled with 1,500 recorded archaeological sites, constantly reminds you of the peoples that have gone before. A small Indian ruin overlooks the school. The canyon walls record the histories of at least three periods of inhabitants: the ancient Anasazi, who lived in pithouses and farmed the canyon; the Navajo, who lived in hogans and built the defensive structures, known as pueblitos, to protect themselves from the Ute raiders to the north; and the artistic scripts of the sheepherders who wintered flocks here from the end of the 19th century through the first three decades of the 20th century. For thirty years the school itself was the center of the community and part of the history of its alumni. We are fully aware of our status as merely the current denizens in a long flow of history.

Part of the Largo Canyon experience is to visit some of these sites, whether it is a walk across the canyon to see the petroglyphs or a drive to Twin Towers (easy access) or Shaft House (for the truely adventurous). Tours of these and many other sites can be arranged, or we can provide maps and directions. Largo School is also in tour-distance of Chaco Canyon National Park, Aztec Ruins National Monument, and Mesa Verde National Park. We invite archaeological tour guides, archaeological schools, as well as the Navajo Nation schools to use our facilities as a base of operations for exploring the Dinetah.

Remember that archaeological items, including potsherds, arrowheads, and structures, are protected by law. Take only pictures, leave only tracks!