Greetings...

No matter how far you have wandered hitherto, or how many famous gorges and valleys you have seen, this one, the Grand Cañon of the Colorado, will seem as novel to you, as unearthly in the color and grandeur and quantity of its architecture, as if you had found it after death, on some other star....

-John Muir from "The Wild Parks and Forest Reservations of the West" The Atlantic Monthly, January, 1898 With the approach of another holiday season, the staff of Arizona Highways sends you a special gift, conveniently packaged within these pages. This December issue is devoted entirely to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Although Arizonans tend to think of “the Canyon” as our proudest possession, we gladly acknowledge that its appeal and significance transcend all state and national boundaries. For its beauty, its scale, its inspirational and emotional impact, it surely qualifies for the description that we have made our theme: The Temple of the World. Appreciation of the Grand Canyon is universal. Recently, it was designated as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, one of 112 global sites selected for this recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The Canyon has exerted its unique influence on explorers and adventurers, writers and philosophers, scientists and laymen of all nations and races. Its effect on their senses and sensibilities has resulted in some of the most evocative passages ever penned about the natural environment and the place of humankind in it. As issue editor, I have had the enjoyable and difficult challenge of researching many of those writings and selecting the excerpts that comprise most of the text of this month's magazine. Two essays, however, are new-the Foreword by Frank Waters, an old friend of longtime Highways readers, and an Afterword by J. Duncan Campbell, writing from exile in Vermont. Review and selection of the photographs was equally pleasurable. Here are fresh, exciting views of what must surely be the world's most photogenic subject. We have divided our interpretation of the Temple of the World into four elements. “A Temple for Humankind” suggests some of the human activity that takes place in the Canyon. “Temple of the Sky Father” reflects the magical effects of weather and the ever changing light. “Temple of the Earth Mother” concentrates on the Canyon's physical structure. “Temple of All Nature” focuses on the flora and fauna of the Canyon. Every visitor to the Grand Canyon whom I have known has carried away an intense personal memory, a gift to be treasured forever. It is my hope that, in a more modest yet meaningful way, our gift too will be treasured long after this blessed season has passed. -Peter Ensenberger