Montezuma’s Castle

Montezuma’s Castle is rich with pre Arizona history. It is located 5 miles north of the Verde Valley, and is an hour and half from Phoenix. Montezuma’s Castle has housed at lest four different Indian cultures and two of the cultures flourished for centuries. This area was first inhabited by the Hohokam which means “all used up” and last by the Sinagua which in Spanish means “with out water”. The Hohokam Indians were the first inhabitants of the Beaver Creak, in 600 AD they started farming and irrigating the valley. In 1125 AD the Sinagua took over the Beaver Creak aria and built the now existing Montezuma’s Castle. Montezuma is a 5 story 20 room structure that is nestled against the North West side of the canyon wall. In the 1700’s, Antonio de Esjio was the first European to discover the ruin by this time it had been long abandoned. Then on December 8, 1906 Theodore Roosevelt declared it a national monument.

In 600 Ad, the Hohokam Indians settle the beaver Creak aria because it was rich with wild game and had an abundant supply of water. They were the first to use irrigation and were able to grow their own crops. The Hohokam primarily lived on the valley floor in what is considered a pit-house. Pit-houses are homes made from pits dug in the ground with poles that are erected to make the roof. The sides and roofs are made from sticks and mud that are sun dried. The Hohokam were the first Indians in Arizona to become agriculturists, they grew corn squash and beans. The Hohokam Indians eventually moved on or possibly died out; know one really knows what happen to them.

The village was abandoned tell 1125 AD when the Sinagua moved there. The Sinagua were Indians that were from the surround hills and plateaus. They adapted the irrigation and farming skills of the Hohokam. Sometime after 1125, the Sinagua started building masonry structure in the surrounding cliffs. This eventually evolved into building the current structure that is the 5 story 20 room Montezuma’s Castle. This structure stand 100 feet off of the valley floor and has withstood years of weathering and vandalism. It is one of the more popular pre historic sites in the Southwest and receives over 1 million visitors a year.

In the 1700’s, Antonio de Esjio a Spaniard from Europe was the first to write about Montezuma’s Castle. And by the 1880’s, the railroad happened upon it while they were mapping the Verdi Valley. In 1884, Edgar A. Mearns a Fort Verdi physician surveyed and mapped the site. By the 1890 the Arizona Antiquarian Association had to do some repairs to Montezuma’s Castle because some of the walls were fall down due to vandalism and pot-hunting. On December 8, 1906, the vandalism leads Theodore Roosevelt to declare this a national monument so it would be protected for future generations to enjoy.

In closing, Montezuma’s castle is a fun, adventurous day tripe into the pre history of the Arizona Indians. This tripe can be enlightened to the new residents of Phoenix. Arizona has lots of culture and history and is relatively inexpensive to see. The fees to get in our parks only go to help save and preserve them, so I don’t mind paying them. And last, when people visit our parks, it is nice to see them with out litter or trash, so I suggest; if people see trash lying around do the honorable thing, pick it up.