Did you know that Arizona has its own castles? This picture is of a place called Montezuma’s Castle. It is the ancient remnants of a Sinaguan Indian Village. The Sinaguans were farmers who settled in Arizona in the 600s. They grew corn, beans, squash, and cotton. They watered them using irrigation. Around 1150, they began building large pueblos in hilltops and cliffs. If I remember correctly, there were several hundred people living in here at one time. There are several different levels that you can’t see in here. In the early 1400s, the Sinagua abandoned the entire valley, and no one knows why.

This picture shows how high up in the cliffs that this really was. It is almost breathtaking just due to the work involved. I can only imagine how many hours were spent creating this. Its hard to believe that hundreds of people lived here. They figure that they had made ladders to get up in there. Could you imagine climbing up and down every single day of your life? They don’t really know why they built it up there. It could be because it was cooler in the cliffs or for protection. They showed a model of this castle there (it was behind glass, so I couldn’t get a good picture) showing about 25 rooms in this place!

This castle is also at the same site. However, this one is at ground level. As you can see, there isn’t much left to it! This castle was destroyed by fire.  I never knew that we had our own castles here, did you?  I just thought they were in Europe.

At Montezuma’s Castle, they also talk to you about the trees, flowers, and wildlife that you see.  Remember, it is always important to stay on the trails there and at the other sites due to snakes and tarantulas!  Since it was still cold, we didn’t see any.

This is a historical site you have to visit if you ever go to Arizona. Not only is it beautiful, you get a great history lesson!