Navajo County

The community of Polacca lies about eleven
miles west of Keams Canyon. Atop the mesa are the
three traditional villages of
Hanoki (Tewa), Sitsomovi (Sichomovi), and Waalpi (Walpi).

Walpi is the oldest village at First Mesa and was established
in 1690 when a village at the foot of the mesa, Koechaptevela,
was abandoned out of fear of Spanish reprisals for the 1680
Pueblo Revolt. Terraced onto a narrow rock table, Walpi is the
most pristine of the Hopi villages, with cliff-edge houses and
vast scenic vistas. The village recently underwent restoration
to preserve the beauty of the village and to make it safer for
residents to live and perform their religious ceremonies.