A canyon located in McKinley County, New Mexico. Its Anglicized name is based on the Navajo one, Mą'ii Tééh Yítłizhí, meaning "Where Coyote Fell Into Deep Water," which is based on a story of the spiritual being Coyote falling into a river after taking a drink of water. Coyote Canyon is one of the many chapters of the Navajo Nation, whose government system consists of five agencies (Chinle, Crownpoint, Fort Defiance, Shiprock, and Tuba City), with several local chapters within each agency. Each chapter has an administrative meeting place known as the chapter house, where the community gathers to discuss a variety of issues concerning life on the reservation.
"Sheep herd of M Chaviz, Coyote Canyon, New Mexico, 1900-1910," photograph, Palace of the Governors Photo Archives Collection (015139). Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.
Bright, William
2013 Native American Placenames of the Southwest: A Handbook for Travelers. Norman:
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Coyote Canyon Chapter
N.d. Coyote Canyon Chapter. http://coyotecanyon.navajochapters.org/, accessed February
16, 2015.
Linford, Laurance D.
2001 Tony Hillerman's Navajoland: Hideouts, Haunts, and Havens in the Joe Leaphorn
and Jim Chee Mysteries. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.