Geographic Reference

The four corners refers to the spot in the southwestern U.S. where the corners of four states meet. It includes the northwestern corner of New Mexico, the northeastern corner of Arizona, the southwestern corner of Colorado, and the southeastern corner of Utah. The borders for these four states are also unusual because they run along straight lines and do not follow longitudinal lines, latitudinal lines, or natural boundaries. The Navajo reservation is centered almost exactly on the four corner boundaries and extends into three of the four corner states.

The term Big Reservation refers to the Navajo Reservation or the Navajo Nation as it has been called since 1969. The Navajo Nation covers 27,425 square miles of territory, covering portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. It is the largest land area that is primarily governed by a Native American tribe.

This chapel, on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was built in memory of alumni killed in action while supporting US military efforts. The names of the fallen are engraved on the south wall. Designed by John Gaw Meem, who also designed UNM's Zimmerman Library, it was built in 1962.

The San Francisco Peaks are a volcanic mountain range located in just North of Flagstaff, Arizona. This mountain range was once a cluster of volcanoes, and it has the tallest peak in Arizona; Humphrey’s Peak is 12,633 feet. Navajos consider it the sacred mountain of the West, and it has three names Dook'o'oosłííd -"Never Thaws on Top", Ghá’niłts’įįlii- “Faultless Mountain”, and the sacred name "Diichiłi Dziil" - Abalone Shell Mountain. It marks the western boundary of the Navajo’s aboriginal homeland.

In Navajo Origin mythology, First Man adorned the mountain range with abalone shells, yellow clouds, male rain, and all animals. It is also said to have been the home of Talking God, White Corn Boy, and Yellow Corn Girl and then fastened them into the sky with sunbeams. Interestingly, the Navajo also consider the mountain male and the mountain's diverse vegetation made it a perfect place to gather herbs to make traditional medicines.