Monument Valley

The Navajo call it Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii — Valley of Light, Valley of Rocks. Both are true. They say that the true nature of this landscape is only revealed in motion. Anyone who drives along the dusty track here for a while gradually begins to understand what they mean.

John Ford understood it immediately. The director came here almost ninety years ago, recognised the dramatic power of this backdrop, and created a cinematic monument to the valley through his Western films. Ever since, Monument Valley has shaped our image of the Wild West — an image that has more to do with light and sandstone than with actual history.

Geologically, the mesas, spires and buttes were formed over millions of years: sedimentary layers were lifted by tectonic forces and eroded by wind and water until only the hardest rock remained.

These images pay homage to the elemental landscape that has shaped these forms over eons, to the visionary eye of John Ford, who was one of the first to recognise their dramatic power, and to the profound perspective of the Navajo. For them, Monument Valley is far more than mere rocks. It is a place of profound significance, shaped by a connection to the ancestors and the forces of nature — a landscape that reveals itself only when one takes the time to open oneself up to it.