Montezuma Well ~ Verde Valley ~ Arizona

We were RV’ing in the Verde Valley on our way to see the Grand Canyon when we parked at Camp Verde RV Resort as our base to visit some interesting places in the area.  One of those special visits was at Montezuma Well, just a few miles up I-17 and north of Camp Verde.  There is no charge to visit this national park at this time and we drove there after visiting Montezuma Castle, another special place to visit.

Montezuma Well in Verde Valley, AZ

Montezuma Well is a naturally occurring spring in the desert and was considered a hallowed place.  The warm springs replenish the well with over 1.5 million gallons of water daily before it flows out through a cave.  The amount of water flow and the temperature (25C/76F) is maintained all year round.  The Well is funnel shaped, 112 meters (368’) across and almost 17 meters (55’) deep.

Cliff dwelling ovelooks Montezuma Well, AZ

The Sinagua Indians built the cliff houses, which were usually one room so this would explain why the many rooms of the Montezuma Castle would give that its name. The cliff houses would face east to get the morning sunshine to heat them on cool mornings.  They were easy to build into the cliff and this would keep them warm and dry. 

Rugged terrain lines the Montezuma Well

Prehistoric people lived here about 700AD and ate off the land but it was the Hohokam people that likely started the farming and by the 1300’s, the Sinagua people were growing corn, squash, beans and cotton crops. It was during their time that the water was channeled from the Well and used to irrigate their crops.

Ruins of cliff dwellings at Montezuma Well, AZ

This small group of cliff houses would be accessed by walking along the narrow cliffside.  The Sinagua people would have lived here between 1300AD – 1400AD and develop their farming community and crops irrigated by the spring waters. These homes are some of the many in the Verde Valley, including Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle as well as more than 50 ridge top pueblos that were left behind without explanation in the 1400’s.

Natural spring makes Montezuma Well in Verde Valley, AZ

There is a very active underwater life in the Well.  There are no gill-breathing fish here due to the high level of carbon dioxide but other little creatures that keep the cycle going.  Canada Geese and ducks, foxes, skunks and raccoons can be seen in this area, mostly during quiet times.

Pueblo ruins at Montezuma Well, AZ

There were many different types of homes including pueblos built in this area.  The ruins shown here would likely have been a 20-30 room pueblo built on the hilltop to overlook their crops.  The natives would use limestone and sandstone using mud to hold them together to form their home, as well as trees, branches and shrubs to make roofs and supports.

Montezuma Well  pueblo ruins in Verde Valley, AZ

The pueblo home was built with small rooms as they were only used for sleeping and eating.  Most of the living was done outside.  They would dry corn and seeds for winter storage, put into pottery containers they would make.  The plaza area was used for welcoming neighbors and trading goods.  

Plant information in Verde Valley

The nature walk that surrounds the Montezuma Well has several story boards that describe the life of the people that once walked these areas. There are native plants still growing that once offered medicinal as well as nutritional aid to their diets.

There are no Sinagua tribes that exist today but the legacy they’ve left behind is a large part of the history of the Verde Valley and offers some incredible sights to see with the cliff dwellings they left behind.  They have been protected in National parks for us to enjoy and appreciate.

Follow the map directions to Camp Verde to begin your Montezuma experience.  Signs are well posted from there.

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Montezuma Castle ~ Verde Valley ~ Arizona

We had visited Montezuma Castle many years ago and I was excited to see it again so I could take some pictures to share on the blog, seems I didn't take enough pictures back then.  My biggest incentive these days is sharing this way, and I can never have enough pictures!  As we approached the parking lot, I realized that either my memory had failed me or things had changed, I’m going to go with the changes.



Large Arizona Sycamore welcome us to Montezuma Castle

These huge Arizona Sycamore are lining the area with only winter branches to show at this time of year, it would be great to be here later in the spring or summer to see them all dressed.  We enter the site for the Castle through the Visitor Information center to see the park, a $5.00 fee, which also houses a great museum of the artifacts and story of the Sinagua culture.  



Pathway leading us to Montezuma Castle in Verde Valley

This was named Montezuma Castle when it was thought that the Aztec people had come in and built this for their Aztec Emporer of the 1500’s, but it was later learned that was not the case, but his name has stayed with it.  It was declared a National Monument in 1906 by Teddy Roosevelt when only a few artifacts remained, but at least it was now sure to be protected from more losses.




Montezuma Castle in Verde Valley in Arizona

The Montezuma Castle is quite a sight to behold.  It is hard to believe that this cliffside dwelling built from limestone has been here for over 800 years.  There has been a protective layer put on the exterior to prevent the wind and rain from any further damage but the castle remains 90% original and is considered one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in the U.S.



Closer view of Montezuma Castle, a National Monument

The castle sits 30 meters (100’) above the floodplains and once housed 35-50 people with 19 rooms and 3 levels.  They built into the deep alcove then added rooms in stages.  They would climb the cliff with ladders then access the castle through a hole in the roof using a ladder, then pull the ladder inside to prevent anyone from invading their home.  The Montezuma Castle was part of a large community of people in the Verde Valley.  It is believed there were as many as 6,000 to 8,000 people living in villages no more than 2 miles apart.

Viewing Montezuma Castle from under the Arizona Sycamore trees

It is difficult to get the scale from the pictures but this one will show better with people walking below it on the pathway.  There has been a viewing patio set up to ponder the story of the Sinagua culture.  After living here for 300 years, they left mysteriously in the 1400’s, never to return.   It is not known if they left due to drought, disease or perhaps invasion, although there appears to be no sign of warfare.  Hopi Indian legend suggests they may have joined them to the northeast. 

The ruins of Castle A in Verde Valley, Arizona

There are other old ruins here, Castle A was excavated in 1933 and many artifacts were found that offered some information on the Sinagua.  There were 45-50 rooms in this castle on 6 levels, much like an apartment dwelling but most of it was destroyed in a fire in the 1400’s.  Castle A had been built near the base of the cliff.  Information says they were related to the others, sharing the land and the food with them.



Beaver Creek runs through Verde Valley, Arizona

Beaver Creek offered the water source for irrigation and made for rich farmland in the Verde Valley. The crops the Sinagua did plant were corn, beans, squash and cotton and they supplemented their crops by gathering from the plantlife in the valley and hunting the wildlife that wandered the area. They appeared to live well and flourished in the Verde Valley.

It is amazing to hear how these people did survive back then, and to actually see their Castle and the work that was done to accomplish this. They raised generations of their people and worked this valley for centuries. We can only marvel at their hard work and then wonder why they would leave. With all that they had invested it would have had to be a necessity to leave their home. Although we have learned much about the Sinagua people, we may never find the answer to that question, not even on Google :).

There are several ruins in this area of Arizona, not all are as preserved as these are.

We also visited Montezuma Well and will share those pictures and story with you, too.