When a mysterious and deadly illness began to sicken members of the Navajo community in the Four Corners region of the Southwestern U.S. in 1993, U.
S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators were stumped. However, the cause of the illness was less of a mystery to Navajo elders.
Because officials were willing to listen to valuable insight gained from centuries of traditional knowledge, a virus that was previously unknown to infect humans in North America was identified as the source of the disease. The mysterious outbreak The Four Corners region of the U.S.
derives its name from the intersection of 4 states: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona. Situated on the Colorado Plateau, the area is known for its stunning natural features, like the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert and Zion National Park. A large portion of this region is within the 27,000 square miles (approximately 70,000 square kilometers) that make up the Navajo Nation.
Featured in countless films and TV shows, the landscape has a rugged and unique beauty that is synonymous with adventure and discovery. The Navajo people have lived in the region for around 1,000 years. Spanish missionaries, who arrived in the area much later, chose the name Navajo, but tribal members call themselves the Diné (the people).
In Spring 1993, this rugged landscape and its people became the focus of national attention after the death of a young Navajo man. He was a competitive marathon runner, and previously in very.
