Near Chinle in Apache County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Place Where Two Fell Off
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2016
1. The Place Where Two Fell Off Marker
Spanish soldiers may have fired from this very site during the infamous massacre of 1805. Their Navajo targets were huddled in the alcove below and to the left.
Spanish accounts describe a day-long battle against Indians entrenched in an almost inaccessible point and the killing of 90 warriors and 25 women and children. The Navajo, however, say many men were away hunting at the time. Thus the dead were mostly women, children, and old men who had sought refuge from the invaders.
The Navajo call the alcove Adah Ahodoonili Two Fell Off referring to a brave Navajo woman who grappled with a soldier and tumbled to her death, dragging the enemy with her.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Wars, Non-US • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1805.
Location. 36° 14.268′ N, 109° 21.568′ W. Marker is near Chinle, Arizona, in Apache County. It can be reached from Mummy Cave Overlook Road 1½ miles east of North Rim Highway (Indian Route 64). Marker is located within Canyon de Chelly National Monument, at Massacre
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Navajo Nation. It is also in the American Southwest, in the Mountain West, in Colorado Plateau, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: House Under Rock (approx. 0.6 miles away); Sliding House Ruins (approx. 9.4 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Massacre Cave. Navajo women saw the Spanish soldiers coming and the people hid in Massacre Cave, located over 1,000 feet up the canyon wall. The cave was only accessible from the bottom and so the group was showered in a barrage of bullets from the Spanish. Bullet holes still remain in the walls of the cave from that fateful day that would end in the deaths of over 115 Navajo. Although it was not uncommon for there
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2016
2. The Place Where Two Fell Off Marker
2. History of a Location: Canyon de Chelly. 1805: Some Spaniards succeed in reaching the hideaway and, in fighting off one soldier, a Navajo woman tumbles over the cliff taking him with her. One-hundred-fifteen Navajos are killed at what becomes known as The Place Where Two Fell Off. Thirty-five are taken as slaves and three-hundred-fifty sheep are stolen. Paintings still visible on the rock faces record battles with the Spanish who are depicted on horseback. (Submitted on April 9, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2016
3. Ledge Where Two Fell Off (telephoto view from marker)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2016
4. View of Canyon from near Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,511 times since then and 97 times this year. Last updated on October 7, 2025, by J.R. Frederick of Casey, Illinois. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 9, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
