We took a couple days this weekend to drive north from Phoenix on a trip to see some cool stuff! As always, thanks to my amazing husband, Brenden, for researching and planning the trip to find all the cool things.
Montezuma’s Castle
It’s not a castle, and Montezuma was never there.
Montezuma’s Castle and the other preserved dwellings here at the National Monument in Camp Verde, Arizona were built and used by the Sinaqua people, an indigenous people of the Southwest United States, from approximately 1100 AD to 1425 AD. The ‘castle’ is extremely well-preserved thanks to its inaccessibility. It’s made up of about 20 rooms arranged in several stories.
Just down the trail, were the remains of Castle A. This was a larger settlement but it is mostly gone now.
Tuzigoot
After Montezuma’s Castle, we visited Tuzigoot, another ancient civilization in the area. This pueblo was much larger and housed many more people than Montezuma’s Castle, but has been largely restored and most of the structure is no longer original.
Thankfully now, though, we saw signs and heard from rangers or volunteers that most of these historical sites are now being restored, when needed, using only traditional methods of construction.
After leaving Tuzigoot, we drove north to Flagstaff. On the way, we drove through Red Rock State Park and we were stunned at the drama and beauty of the red rocks around the whole region. Below, is the Oak Creek canyon.
