Montezuma Castle National Monument
May 2021
Montezuma Castle, The Sinagua Legacy
- May 16, 2021
- 0.75 mi
- 18:50 min
- 73 °F
A peaceful green oasis surrounded by the enormous desert! That’s how Montezuma Castle and its flourishing surroundings felt. Montezuma Castle remains one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America.
The Sinagua must have felt protected here, living high in their limestone caves, shielded from the elements and elevated above the valley floor. They also enjoyed the certainty of an abundance of fresh water from Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Verde River.
The Sinagua began construction around 1100 AD. The site remained a vibrant center for centuries. The five-story masonry building, containing 20 rooms, could accommodate about 50 people. Today, we viewed the castle only from the trails below, as interior access has been restricted since 1951 to preserve this 800-year-old architectural wonder.
The Sacred Waters of Montezuma Well
- May 16, 2021
- 0.47 mi
- 11:13 min
- 72 °F
After our visit to the castle, we traveled 11 miles northeast to another section of the monument, Montezuma Well. While the castle showcases the creativity of Sinagua architecture, the well explains why the Sinagua people survived in this harsh environment.
This large water reservoir is a natural limestone sinkhole where an underground spring pours in over 1.5 million gallons of water every single day. As early as the 8th century, the Sinagua and the Hohokam before them made irrigation canals, some still visible today, to redirect the water to their crops.