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Dark Winds is set in 1971 near Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation, but its filming locations are not all there. Season one was filmed across parts of New Mexico, including Tesuque Pueblo’s Camel Rock Studios and Cochiti Pueblo; the latest official update says season five filmed in and around Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo.
Where was Dark Winds filmed?
The show’s fictional setting is the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley. Its production footprint is broader: New Mexico locations include Pueblo communities as well as the Santa Fe area and Española. That distinction matters—filming in New Mexico does not mean every scene was filmed on the Navajo Nation.
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| 1 |
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| 2 |
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Dark Winds: Season 1 | $13.62 | Buy on Amazon |
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The New Mexico Film Office’s 2021 announcement listed Santa Fe, Española, Pueblo of Cochiti, Pueblo of Tesuque and the Navajo Nation among season one’s filming locations. AMC later described the season-one split more specifically: 70% was filmed at Tesuque Pueblo’s Camel Rock Studios and 30% on tribal lands at Cochiti Pueblo. AMC did not state the year of that percentage breakdown in the opened article.
How the filming locations changed by season
Season one
The New Mexico Film Office said the six-episode first season would shoot from late August through November 2021 in the Santa Fe area, Española, Cochiti Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. Its announcement estimated about 200 New Mexico crew members and more than 275 New Mexico background performers and extras.
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- Dark Winds - Season 4 [DVD]
AMC’s later account names Camel Rock Studios at Tesuque Pueblo and gives the 70%/30% split with Cochiti Pueblo. The two accounts describe different levels of detail: the Film Office gives a broad list of planned locations, while AMC gives a breakdown of where the season was filmed.
Seasons two through four
The available official records do not establish a complete location inventory for these seasons. Without season-specific confirmation, it is not possible to assign a particular landmark or scene to one of them.
Rank #2
- On a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley in 1971, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Tribal Police is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee, who has his own old scores to settle.
Season five
The New Mexico Film Office’s May 19, 2026 announcement says season five filmed in and around Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo, with production continuing through July. It reports 564 New Mexico crew members, 67 New Mexico principal actors and 250 New Mexico background performers and extras. The announcement does not give scene-by-scene or address-level locations, so those figures and place names should not be read as a complete itinerary.
Why the locations matter to the series
The landscape helps establish the show’s story geography. TIME’s 2022 review describes an opening shift from a generic townscape to Monument Valley vistas and reads that visual contrast as a way of locating the story in the Navajo Nation. That is a critic’s interpretation of what appears on screen, not a record of where a scene was filmed.
Rank #3
- Dark Winds: Season 3 [DVD]
The production also has a documented relationship to Native communities and local participation. AMC said the show was filmed largely in and around Native American lands with support from the Navajo Nation. In its series announcement, AMC quoted then-Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez welcoming the production and expressing hope that it would encourage tourism and support “Buy Navajo, Buy Local.”
The New Mexico Film Office framed the production’s use of Native writers and actors, a New Mexico Native director and Native locations as part of its effort to pursue authenticity. In its 2026 season-five announcement, the office also connected the series to New Mexico employment and opportunities for underrepresented communities. These are statements of goals and perspective from the office, producers and community representatives—not independent measurements of authenticity or audience impact.
Rank #4
Can you visit the filming locations?
The location announcements identify broad areas and, for season one, Camel Rock Studios; they do not establish that filming sites are open to visitors. Pueblo and tribal lands are communities with their own rules, and a production location is not automatically a public attraction. Check current local guidance before visiting, and do not enter restricted land or facilities.
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What the location record establishes
| Season or subject | What is documented | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Season one | Santa Fe area, Española, Cochiti Pueblo, Tesuque Pueblo and the Navajo Nation | New Mexico Film Office announcement, August 31, 2021; planned filming locations |
| Season one breakdown | 70% at Tesuque Pueblo’s Camel Rock Studios; 30% on tribal lands at Cochiti Pueblo | AMC; the article does not state the year of this breakdown |
| Seasons two through four | A complete season-by-season location list is not established here | Available official records do not provide a full inventory |
| Season five | In and around Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo | New Mexico Film Office, May 19, 2026; production continued through July, with no scene-by-scene list |
Sources
- New Mexico Film Office: Season-one announcement, August 31, 2021
- AMC: “Dark Winds Renewed For A Second Season On AMC/AMC+”
- AMC: Series-order announcement
- New Mexico Film Office: “Dark Winds Season 5,” May 19, 2026
- TIME: “Dark Winds Is a Stunning Crime Show Set in the Navajo Nation,” June 10, 2022
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