Behind Monument Valley's West & East Mitten Buttes

Above, the Mittens and Merrick Butte at dawn. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Perhaps the most recognizable images of the Southwest are the East and West Mittens (also called Right and Left Mittens) of Monument Valley. This is especially true of the westerns of John Ford and John Wayne.

TheTravel has posted an article about the Mittens and the rest of Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

They begin it with:

Perhaps nothing better symbolizes the American Southwest than Monument Valley and its iconic scenery, along with its extraordinary collection of buttes. These buttes are located in the present-day Navajo Nation (the largest American Indian reservation). The two most iconic buttes are perhaps East Butte and West Butte. They are free to visit and have long captured the public imagination. They have become ingrained in America's mythic "Wild West" and shape the perception of the Southwest.

To read more (and see plenty of photographs), go here.