Montezuma Castle

When visiting Arizona, we stopped to visit the Montezuma Castle cliff dwellings. The name of these cliff dwellings is indeed misleading. This national monument got its name from the discoverers who thought it was connected to the Aztec emperor Montezuma II. And it is not a castle either, but was the living quarters for pre-Columbian Singuan people who built and lived there around 700.

Protected from storms, rain, and animals, these cliff dwelling, which were built into the limestone on a high cliff, have a location to die for.

The area surrounding the dwellings is beautiful with a small river making it an excellent spot for living and farming.

The dwellings contain 20 rooms and housed around 50 people. 

Around 1425 these dwellings were abandoned. Researcher do not know why, but theories include warfare and drought.