PART 4
A Visit to Montezuma's Castle
National Monument
On our prior trip to Sedona, we also stopped to visit ruins of towns that were part of an ancient civilization, north of Flagstaff. This time we visited the ruins of their southern cousins at Montezuma's Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments.
It is still a mystery what happened to those who dwelt in these places. These dwellings were all abandoned about the same time, the early 1400s. The cause is speculation at this point. War, disease, drought? No one knows. People living here may have moved north or south to join others living similar lifestyles, or they may have stayed here and returned to a more nomadic, hunter/gatherer lifestyle.
Montezuma's Castle had nothing to do with Montezuma, of course. It is one of the oldest Native American dwellings still preserved. It was very well built. Next door was a residential complex that was three times larger, but it did not survive the ravages of time.
It did not have the natural overhang to protect it from the elements as did Montezuma's Castle. But it was also not as well built.
Here are several views of Montezuma's Castle:
One of the nice displays on the grounds is this one, attempting to depict a moment in the life of this dwelling and what people were doing, and even thinking, at that moment. It is really quite well done and aims at personalizing history: these were people living daily lives with challenges and hopes, worries and wants, just as we are:
You can read about the construction methods and the culture/agriculture of these peoples at some length on the National Park Service website for this National Monument. I highly recommend the virtual tour on that site not only for its photos but also for its discussion of the building methods, the decision to close it to the public, the restoration work done, etc.
Almost next door there was a larger dwelling, as mentioned, and it has fallen down so that there is little left of it except some wall remnants on the rock face and some storage bin openings in the rock:
What made agricultural life possible here, with corn, squash and beans being grown for food and cotton for cloth-making, was Beaver Creek. Ditches were constructed to move water onto fields. These were skilled farmers and builders.
It was fun to see lizards and squirrels being rather fearless of people:
A few miles down the road (~25?) is another dwelling belonging to the same group of Native American people, Tuzigoot.
Go to Tuzigoot National Monument
Go back to a wild ride to Schnebly Hill Overlook
Go back to a wet walk to Red Rock Crossing
Go back to a sunny time at the Red Rock Crossing
Go to 1998 photos of our previous Sedona trip
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