San Juan in the Imagination
A m i d all of the economic development, cultural conflict, and political strife, San Juan County has still spoken to a poetic side of the human soul. Few geographical regions on the earth enjoy such a wide variety of natural beauty, from sandstone monoliths in a high country desert to alpine splendor basking in the glow of a radiant sunset. Throughout the ages, people have expressed their appreciation for the land in paintings on cliff walls, in myths and stories told around the campfire, and in written songs, poems, and prose. The Four Corners region has been a spawning ground for raconteurs, writers, and philosophers who have shared with the rest of the world their experiences with the land and people of San Juan County. Many stories from the Utes look at the land through religious and philosophical eyes. The tales are tinged with supernatural and mystical teachings that imbue the Four Corners region with a power and sense of divine meaning. For instance, in the time of the myths, the chief of all the Utes lost his wife and did not know where to look for her. Ta-vwoats, a supernatural being, answered the chief's prayers by taking him to the land of the dead to locate his wife. The god
