Window Rock

In 1936, the Navajo Nation headquarters and other government offices were built in close proximity to this arch, due to its history and cultural significance, paricularly with the Waterway Ceremony. In Navajo culture and history, there was once a water pond right below the arch opening on the ground, a Navajo medicine man would collect this water to use in the Waterway Ceremony. This location was one of four sacred water ponds. Although today, you likely won’t witness a ceremonial water collection while visiting. But nonetheless, the area should be respected and there is no climbing allowed onto the Window Rock arch or its surrounding sandstone formations.

A Veteran’s Memorial was established in 1995, this is also at the base of Window Rock to honor the many Navajos who served in the U.S. military. Many Navajo soldiers are recognized in the annals of history for their role as Code Talkers, whereby they used the native Diné language to create a code that was never broken by the enemy. Historians credit the Navajo Code Talkers for helping to win World War II.

The memorial park has many symbolic structures: a statue of a Navajo Code Talker with his 32 pound radio (Westinghouse – Type CRI-43007 transmitter) on his back, a circular path outlining the four cardinal directions (East = White; South = Blue; West = Yellow and North = Black), 16 angled steel pillars with a sign filled with names of war veterans, a healing sanctuary that is used for reflection and solitude that features a fountain made of sandstone.

FREE Entry. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.