Known as Ni’ Alnii’ gi (center of the world) to the Navajo for centuries, Window Rock was established as the capital of the Navajo Nation in 1936. Navajo Code Talker – Navajo Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial, Window Rock, Arizona Located just across the New Mexico border, the town of Window Rock is home to the Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Nation Zoo, a museum and fairgrounds. Today, Window Rock, also the name of a natural sandstone formation, towers over the administration capitol and the Navajo Veterans Memorial.
The Window Rock Tribal Park, open to the public, features a line of sandstone cliffs that reach up 200 feet. Here, the imposing sandstone arch or window (Tseghahoodzani to the Navajo) attracts a steady stream of visitors. Sixteen Steel Bayonets – Navajo Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial, Window Rock, Arizona
Window Rock guests may also enjoy the Navajo’s salute to their own code talkers and war veterans. During World War II, the Navajo language was used to develop an unbreakable communication code. Initiated by a group of Navajo Vietnam veterans, the war memorial follows a circular path beneath Window Rock. Following a paved loop, visitors are guided passed a statue of a Navajo code talker, beneath the natural arch and under a line of sixteen steel bayonet sculptures and a veteran’s roster honoring many Navajos who served in the United States military.