The Wonder of Montezuma Castle National Monument
Sitting amidst the large sycamores, walnut and other shade trees at Montezuma Castle National Monument, it’s easy to appreciate Montezuma Castle as prime real estate for a thriving village nearly 1,000 years ago.
The location just outside Camp Verde, Arizona, couldn’t have been better for community life. Beaver Creek, which skirts the site, provided water for drinking, bathing and irrigation; the high ledges offered protection from the elements and any hostile strangers; and the ample desert trees and shrubs offered fruits, nuts, medicine, fibers and cotton for weaving and other products for household use.
What fires the imagination of visitors, though, are the site’s apartment-style dwellings. The centerpiece of Montezuma Castle is a five-story, 20-room structure, which is reputed to be the best-preserved cliff dwelling in North America.
To the left of this main building are ruins from another pueblo--a six-story, 45-room dwelling that was built at the base of the cliff but which was destroyed by a fire in the late 1400s.
Archeologists suggest that the Sinaguan Indians, who built the cliff dwellings, spent their days very much like we do today: working and taking care of themselves and their loved ones. With no corner markets, women grew crops, ground corn and made meals; threw pots and wove fabrics—all the while caring for their children. The men hunted for game and brought news and traded goods, and the grandmothers and grandfathers kept an eye on things. Certain stones on the property suggest that the Sinaguans traded with southern tribes for macaws and other goods.
The small museum at the site’s visitor center has engaging exhibits that delve into Sinaguan life, history and culture.
Just 11 miles away from Montezuma Castle is Montezuma Well, also part of the Montezuma Castle National Monument. This geological marvel is a spring-fed, funnel-shaped limestone sink that is 368 feet across. An ancient Hohokam pit house is on site as is a 1,000-year-old irrigation ditch still used today.
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