Ganado

Ganado, Arizona, is home to the famous Hubbell Trading Post. John Lorenzo Hubbell established the trading post in 1878, just ten years after the Diné (Navajo) returned home from their internment at Bosque Redondo, New Mexico. The post connected the Diné to the larger American economy and had an enduring influence on Diné rug weaving. Hubbell encouraged Diné rug weavers to weave designs he believed would appeal to buyers in the Eastern United States. One of these designs became known as the Ganado motif. Its hallmark is a rich “Ganado” red background featuring diamond or triangle patterns in black, gray, and ivory. The trading post is still active today and operated by the non-profit Western National Parks Association. The modern community of Ganado is a chapter of the Navajo Nation with its own school district and a hospital that employees many people in the surrounding area.