Monument Valley
| Monument Valley | |
|---|---|
| Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii | |
View of West Mitten Butte, East Mitten Butte, and Merrick Butte in northeastern Arizona | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,000 to 6,000 ft (1,500 to 1,800 m) |
| Coordinates | 36°59′N 110°6′W / 36.983°N 110.100°W |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii (Navajo) |
| Geography | |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Butte |
| Rock type | Siltstone |
.jpg){kind=link}
Monument Valley (Navajo: Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii, pronounced [tsʰépìːʔ ǹtsɪ̀skɑ̀ìː], meaning "valley of the rocks") is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of sandstone buttes, with the largest reaching 1,000 ft (300 m) above the valley floor. The most famous butte formations are located in northeastern Arizona along the Utah–Arizona state line. The valley is considered sacred by the Navajo Nation, the Native American people within whose reservation it lies.
Monument Valley has been featured in many forms of media since the 1930s. Famed director John Ford used the location for a number of his Westerns. Film critic Keith Phipps wrote that "its five square miles [13 km2] have defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West".