Black Mesa, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Black Mesa is an upland area in Navajo County, Arizona
. In Navajo
it is called ("Black Mountain") and during Mexican
rule of Arizona it was called Mesa de las Vacas (Spanish
"table of the cows"). It derives its dark appearance from the numerous seams of coal
which run through it.
is located on the Colorado Plateau
near Kayenta, Arizona
, and rises to over 8168 feet. Its highest peak is located on Black Mesa's northern rim, a few miles south of the town of Kayenta. Reliable springs surfacing at several locations mean the mesa is more suitable for continuous habitation than much of the surrounding desert area. It is now split between the Hopi
and Diné (Navajo
) tribal reservations.
Black Mesa is also the name of a small Navajo community off BIA-8066. It lies 17 miles west of Rough Rock AZ, 20 miles north of Blue Gap/Tachee, AZ, and 25 miles northeast of Pinon, AZ. In the area is a local Chapter House and a community school.
, stirring a controversy over Peabody Energy's use of groundwater to transport coal. Each year, the water level in an underground aquifer is lowered over 100 feet because of Peabody's need to transport their coal. Until a few years ago, seven environmental regulations were waived so that the Peabody Energy Company could set up mines.
Navajo County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*49.3% White*0.9% Black*43.4% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*3.3% Other races*10.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. In Navajo
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
it is called ("Black Mountain") and during Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
rule of Arizona it was called Mesa de las Vacas (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
"table of the cows"). It derives its dark appearance from the numerous seams of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
which run through it.
Geography
The mesaMesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
is located on the Colorado Plateau
Colorado Plateau
The Colorado Plateau, also called the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. The province covers an area of 337,000 km2 within western Colorado, northwestern New Mexico,...
near Kayenta, Arizona
Kayenta, Arizona
Kayenta is a census-designated place which is part of the Navajo Nation and is in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 5,189 at the 2010 census. Kayenta is located south of Monument Valley and contains a number of hotels and motels which service visitors to Monument...
, and rises to over 8168 feet. Its highest peak is located on Black Mesa's northern rim, a few miles south of the town of Kayenta. Reliable springs surfacing at several locations mean the mesa is more suitable for continuous habitation than much of the surrounding desert area. It is now split between the Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
and Diné (Navajo
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
) tribal reservations.
History
The mesa has been home to native peoples for at least 7,000 years.Black Mesa is also the name of a small Navajo community off BIA-8066. It lies 17 miles west of Rough Rock AZ, 20 miles north of Blue Gap/Tachee, AZ, and 25 miles northeast of Pinon, AZ. In the area is a local Chapter House and a community school.
Mining
Since the 1960s the mesa has been strip mined for coal by the Peabody Western Coal CompanyPeabody Energy
Peabody Energy Corporation , previously Peabody Coal Company, is the largest private-sector coal company in the world. The company is headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri....
, stirring a controversy over Peabody Energy's use of groundwater to transport coal. Each year, the water level in an underground aquifer is lowered over 100 feet because of Peabody's need to transport their coal. Until a few years ago, seven environmental regulations were waived so that the Peabody Energy Company could set up mines.