 |
|
|
Northern Arizona Native American Ruin Sites
Long before Montezuma was even born, the Sinagua Indians moved into this valley and began building the cliffside dwellings about 1150. The structure itself is a marvel of architecture. Set high in the sheer cliffs, Montezuma's Castle is a five-story, 20-room structure that has remained impervious to the elements for over 800 years. Only a few miles away is located one of the world's most intriguing natural mysteries. Montezuma's Well is a wide and deep limestone sinkhole, filled with warm, 76° F waters. Due to an unusually high amount of carbon in the water, it provides a unique ecosystem, and is home to forms of life which exist nowhere else on the planet. Besides its incongruous location, its unusual chemical content, and the surprisingly lush, green valley it creates in the midst of the desert, mysteries as to the water source of Montezuma's Well continue to baffle scientists. Despite extensive testing, professional researchers are unable to find the actual source from which flows a million gallons of water a day. As a result, the Well continues to be a gathering place for the scientifically, as well as spiritually, minded. Other locations of interest include Wupatki, an expansive and historic pueblo that features a new visitors' center; Elden Pueblo, the location of an ancient Sinagua settlement; and Tutzigoot, a three-story Sinagua pueblo dating back to A.D. 1000. Other nearby options include the V Bar V Ranch, where you have the opportunity to view perhaps the largest petroglyph site of the entire Verde Valley, and Palatki and Honanki pre-historic rock art, petroglyphs and pictographs of the Southern Sinaqua people. The cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon are also breathtaking and accessible. Ruins that are a bit further away but well worth the trip include those at the Tonto Natural Bridge, Oraibi, Awatovi, Betatakin, Navajo National Park, Rainbow Bridge, Monument Valley and Canyon De Chelly.
|
 |
|
Long before the Verde Valley was named by Spanish explorers in 1583, highly skilled Native peoples were carving a civilization out of its rugged terrain, green with flowing rivers, creeks, and springs--a gorgeous contrast to the rest of Arizona. Daring builders, they created what is mistakenly referred to as "Montezuma's Castle" high in the cliffs that rise above Beaver Creek. As multiple references will tell you, "It's not a castle, and Montezuma never lived there." Nonetheless, this ancient housing, which contemporary authorities liken to a "high rise apartment building," is now considered one of the best preserved historic ruins in the U.S.
