White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly

White House Ruins, named for the white plastered room in the upper structure, is a ruin in Canyon de Chelly dating from the 11th century Anasazi culture. Plastered walls were common, but few have remained intact. This ruin originally reached to the ground, and stretched along the cliff wall, where up to 100 individuals might have lived, and the complex had room for 4-5 times that during ceremonial periods. The upper ruin would have been reached via the roofs of lower buildings and wooden ladders. Also of note is the large rock art figure below the upper ruins. It is not improbable that this pictograph would have originally been inside a room. Although this ruin can be reached from a canyon rim trail, everywhere else in Canyon de Chelly is closed to outsiders except Navajo and those being guided by Navajo.