Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle National Monument preserves a set of ancient cliff dwellings about 90 feet up a sheer limestone cliff. It is one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America, in part because of its ideal placement in a natural alcove that protects it from exposure to the elements. The precariousness of the dwelling's location and its immense scale of floor space across five stories suggest that the Sinagua were daring builders and skilled engineers. Access into the structure was most likely permitted by a series of portable ladders, which made it difficult for enemy tribes to penetrate the natural defense of the vertical barrier. The castle itself was built by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States. Although the monument is now a popular tourist destination, neither part of its name is accurate. The castle was actually abandoned long before the Aztec emperor Montezuma was born, and it was not a traditional castle, but rather a high-rise apartment complex. Despite these inaccuracies, the Montezuma Castle National Monument is still a fascinating glimpse into the past.