Sometimes spelled Moencopi, this is the Hopi village pressed up against the southeastern edge of Tuba City — the only Hopi settlement off the Hopi mesas proper, and the western edge of Hopi land entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation. It was founded in the 1870s as a farming colony from Old Oraibi, taking advantage of the springs in the Moenkopi Wash, and is divided into Upper and Lower Moenkopi, each with its own kikmongwi (village leader) and ceremonial cycle.
The terraced gardens below the village, watered from the springs, still produce corn, beans, melons and chiles in the traditional Hopi way; the contrast with the surrounding desert is striking. Visitors are welcome on the public roads but the village is not a tourist site — no photography, no sketching, no recording, and respect any "no entry" signs at kivas and dance grounds. The modern Moenkopi Legacy Inn, built and run by the Upper Village, is the only Hopi-owned hotel anywhere and a good base if you want to spend more than a night.