"Circle of Cottonwoods"

ELEVATION:  5450'

POST OFFICE ESTABLISHED:  1961

First Trading Post established in 1905   

LOCATION:  West of Shiprock (Shiprock is located on the San Juan River in extreme northwestern New Mexico), gateway to the Four Corners region. (Arizona)

THE RUG:  The dedicated weavers of Teec Nos Pos produce a tightly woven rug that has been described by many as the "least Navajo" of all the regional styles.  The rug has a Persian flair, probably devised by an early trader who circulated examples of this style among the area craftswomen.  Trader Noel took no credit for the design, and according to Maxwell, was convinced that Mrs. Wilson, a San Juan missionary, was responsible for influencing the weavers in this style.

The Teec Nos Pos rug is very busy and intricate in design.  Colors, often used in small amounts, are rather flamboyant.  Bright greens, blue, orange, and reds are popular.  Commercial yarns are more often used, with some utilization of aniline-dyed, handspun fibers.  The typical Teec Nos Pos possesses a broad border that contains a design, usually a broad H, T, or L blocking.  The rug primarily features a contrasting color outline of the main patterns which usually consist of zig-zag, serrated diamonds, triangles, and boxes.  Because of its usually bright, multiple colors, the Teec Nos Pos is more difficult to blend into home decorating schemes.  It is therefore more popular as a collector's item.

Fifteen miles west of Teec Nos Pos lies the high, lonesome post of Red Mesa.  Here a small group of weavers are producing the Teec Nos Pos outline designs in traditional hand spun yarns of grays, white, black, maroons and dark red.  Some writers have recognized the Red Mesa rug as a distinct regional style because of the local weavers' dislike for bright colors.  The design, however, despite the subdued tones, remains typical Teec Nos Pos.

Source:  Posts and Rugs, The Story of Navajo Rugs and Their Homes, by H. L. James, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Third Printing 1979; Copyright 1976 by Southwest Parks and Monuments Association. (Pages 41, 42, 44)

Source:  The Rugs of Teec Nos Pos: Jewels of the Navajo Loom by Ruth K. Belikove, Adobe Gallery, Albuquerque, NM