Monday April 17th, 2023
Just down the road from our RV park in Camp Verde, Az, is the Montezuma Castle National Monument.
The Sinagua people built this group of dwellings between 1100 and 1425 AD. The main building, shown above, is five stories tall and consists of 20-something rooms.
When the site was re-discovered by American settlers, it had been abandoned for many, many years and the settlers named them after Aztec emperor Montezuma. However, it was later found that it was actually abandoned over 40 years before Montezuma was even born.
Building at this height took architectural skill and was probably dangerous. However, it is likely that the residences were built this high to prevent them from the annual flooding that occurs in this area.
The builders used stone and mortar in addition to huge timbers that held up the roofs. The Arizona Sycamore was used primarily.
The diorama below shows how the dwellings were built into the rock and how the residents may have used them.
Tim’s senior America the Beautiful pass got us into this amazing park free. If you are over 65 and are doing any traveling check it out!