Montezuma's Castle was a pretty quick tour. We went through the Visitors' center, showed our Golden Age Pass, and walked out the door to the path leading to the ruin.
Along the way we saw a dove:
Closer look at the castle:
Another critter on the path:
And a close-up:
This model was behind glass and shows what Montezuma's Castle looked like when it was lived in, and what some of the natives might have been doing to occupy their time:
Although this site has the grandest name, "Montezuma's Castle," it was probably the least interesting to me, and the shortest tour Diana and I took. I'm glad I went, I've actually been here before, but forgot. I guess that tells you how impressed I was. Still, it's local history of how the natives lived and worked and survived, and it's a beautiful area with a short walk on a good path to the viewing spot.
From
Wikipedia:
"Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a set of well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings near the town of Camp Verde, Arizona, United States. The dwellings were built and used by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States
between approximately 1100 and 1425 AD. The main structure comprises
five stories and twenty rooms, and was built over the course of three
centuries." Click the link above for more information.
From Me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!
😎🙃😎
This is a place I do want to see. I love history!! Glad you went and expressed your thoughts and feelings. Now I'm curious as to how I'll feel about it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it was interesting, but for one thing, it was a self-tour, so we didn't get any information from staff about the people living here, or what they did, etc. There was one man there to answer questions, but that was all. Some of the other ruins had more info posted on signs or actual volunteers there taking people on tours and talking about the history of the ruins and the people who lived there. I do know, though, from all the ruins we visited, that they were all spaced apart so that they could communicate from one to the other to the next, etc. if something was worth passing on. The Verde Valley is a rich area with lots of water, so the people here were able to grow crops. It must have been hard, but I'm sure they felt lucky to have protected dwellings built into the cliffs and such a good water and planting area. If you are in this area, you'll have a few places to check out. :)
DeleteIs this NM or AZ?
ReplyDeleteJo - this is in Arizona. Even though I've titled it Sedona, it's actually in Camp Verde. But I was camped in Sedona, so everything I saw while camped there is titled that way. I should have probably also put Camp Verde, AZ. Camp Verde, Cottonwood and Sedona are all next to each other. Thanks for asking. :)
DeleteWe went there several years ago. I thought it was pretty interesting how they survived with very little. You could call it the third world of the day.
ReplyDeleteYes, they did have very little, but they had what they needed to live. Food, water, a protected home in the cliff walls, and many people around. When you think of the people living in other places in the world at the same time, they seem like third world people, but I'll bet their minimalist lifestyle was a happy one. Don't you wish you could go back for a bit and see all this for yourself? :)
DeleteThere are a couple of cliff dwelling ruins near Roosevelt Lake that are really nice. The upper cliff dwellings are the largest at 80 rooms. The guided tour was fun - we got to go all through the ruins. After the tour I asked a Ranger if there were dwellings in the area that people can hike to. She told me there are dozens of ruins all over the mountains in the area but they don't tell anyone where they are. They don't want people to go in them and damage the remains.
ReplyDeleteDale - that's nteresting. Diana said when she's been to some of the ruins we saw in previous years, they were able to get closer - or walk right up to them. But the ones we saw were all from a distance, except there was one right at the bottom of the path at Montezuma Well, so it was down in a protected area, not on the cliff. We walked up to it and were able to see inside. That's in a post coming up. :)
DeleteDale and I stopped by these ruins when we were camped on Cherry Creek Rd. We also were not terribly excited. The ruins themselves are quite impressive, but the fact that you only walk about 50 yards and view them from such a distance was kind of a disappointment.
DeleteWE have been to that area years ago but never saw the castle, maybe next time we head that way.
ReplyDeleteGeorge - me, too. This is my fourth time in this area, but the first time I've seen any of these ruins. I AM glad I finally did. :)
DeleteThanks for bring us on your tour. That is definitely someplace we have wanted to visit for many years. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it will happen this coming winter.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Rick and Kathy - there are quite a few places to see in this area. I still have two more posts to do on the ruins I saw. The cost is nominal or free with the Golden Age Pass. Definitely worth doing. :)
DeleteI really enjoy the pictures and stories from the Sedona, Cottonwood
ReplyDeleteareas . Thank you !!!
You're welcome, Linda. It's a great area! :)
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