2013 Map of Negro Canyon

About this map

Hovenweep National Monument anchors this 2013 survey of the high desert landscape in Montezuma County. The area is defined by a series of deep drainages cutting through expansive mesas, including Mockingbird Mesa and Cajon Mesa. The map captures the complex topography of the Four Corners region, where several major canyons converge. From the broad McLean Basin in the northwest, the land falls away into Hovenweep Canyon and Negro Canyon, revealing the intricate erosion patterns of the Colorado Plateau. A sparse network of roads, such as Co HWY-10 and Co Road Y, provides the only modern access across these traditional lands. Geographers and historians can trace the relationship between the protected archaeological sites of the monument and the surrounding natural features like Sandstone Canyon and Yellow Jacket Canyon, which have shaped human habitation in this arid corridor for centuries.