Rock With Wings

  In the northwest corner of New Mexico, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, is a towering rock formation called Ship Rock. It was so named by early explorers because they thought the shape of it resembled a ship's mast at full sail. The Navajo name for this rock formation is "Tse Bit'A'I," which means "rock with wings." The elevation at the summit is 7,178 feet above sea level, which means it rises approximately 1,700 feet above the desert floor. The unusual shape of this rock formation, plus the fact that it is the highest promontory for miles around make this a landmark in the Four Corners region. It can be seen from Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Ship Rock is actually the throat of a long dead volcano. The throat is the inner part of a volcano that surrounds the vent. Everything else has eroded away over the eons. So, basically, just the interior of the volcano is left to cast its spell on the intrepid desert traveler. The "rock with wings" appellation came about because there are three volcanic dikes radiating out from the base of Shiprock, evenly spaced. From above, the dikes resemble airplane propellers extending out from a central base.
  Ship Rock is one of four mountains that are sacred to the Navajo Tribe. They have historically marked the four corners of their homeland by Mount Taylor, near Grants, New Mexico, at the southeast corner; Ship Rock at the northeast corner; the San Francisco Peaks, near Flagstaff, Arizona at the southwest corner and Navajo Mountain, on the Arizona/Utah border, at the northwest corner. Navajo Mountain is mostly in Utah but the state border runs across the south slope, about one-third of the way up. The reservation boundaries today roughly correspond to these four mountains. The San Francisco Peaks and Mount Taylor are not on the reservation, while Ship Rock and Navajo Mountain are on the reservation but close to the northeast and northwest corners, respectively.
  Ship Rock figures prominently in Navajo Mythology. The Navajos believe that they once lived on Ship Rock until one day lightning struck the peak, splitting it, and  stranding some people on top. Because of the peak's religious significance, no one is allowed to climb it, although many people climbed it in the past, before the tribal government placed it off limits.
  The shape of Ship Rock seems to change depending on the direction from which it is seen and also because of the juxtaposition of light and shadow around the rock formation.
  Ship Rock was the setting for Tony Hillerman's book The Fallen Man.