The World's Largest Navajo Rug

On May 1, 2012, the <world’s largest Navajo rug was publically unrolled inside a historic train depot at La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona, for the first time in fifty years. The massive piece of woven art was commissioned by Lorenzo Hubbell Jr. in 1932 as both a tribute to Native American weavers and also as means to attract people to Arizona. Nearly eighty sheep were shorn for the rug’s wool, and it took two years to process all the wool needed.

Julia Joe wove the impressive rug in one piece over the course of three years and three months. The loom was so large, 27 feet wide to be exact, Lorenzo had a barn specially built for it. Weighing in at 250 pounds and measuring an impressive 26 by 36 feet, the rug is filled with still-vibrant red and black designs inspired by ancient Native American pottery found in the area.

While the rug is going back in storage—for now—it is scheduled to go on display at the Route 66 Art Museum in the spring of 2013.