Montezuma Castle National Monument

The joys of being unhurried is that you can stop at small venues and enjoy the small stuff. And this small park in the middle of nowhere is a gem.

I stopped because the sign looked interesting, and I needed a break from the drive. Unfortunately it was free day in the park so it was a bit of a zoo.

Note: There are times that they do not allow trailers or RVs in the parking lot as it is small.

Located on Beaver Creek on the Verde River, this cliff dwelling was named by the European settlers Montezuma's castle. It has nothing what so ever to do with the Aztecs. The Sinagua People lived in the area from 1100, but the area was inhabited from as early as 700 AD. Like many places in the Southwest, it was abandoned in 1425. What was it about that time that made them leave?

The path itself is .3 miles to the end, so round trip a bit more than a half mile. The entire path is paved, and wheel chair accessible.

Lots of benches and shade. This is a place to go slow. Much of the beauty here has to seep under your skin to even begin to understand its story

This is in the desert, so plan you visit early in the day. I went in April when the leaves were just budding out.

Look at the satellite for Google maps. You can see how important the river is. Notice how they have tucked their settlement back in a quiet place so to be unnoticed. The limestone cliffs gave a perfect place for heat and defensibility. It is high above the flood waters during monsoon season.

I was there on a day when rain was teasing us. As a grandmother, I could feel the old woman sitting back on her heels to take a break from grinding corn. The sun is a friend on cool days, and she could enjoy the feel on her face. Were her grandchildren down at the creek splashing? Was she thinking if how soon she dared to put the corn seeds in the ground?

Walk all of the way to the end of the path. Take your time. With each step, feel those that came before you.

The big house is nifty, but I find that all of the smaller dwellings tucked in the cliff face are the more interesting. They used ladders to go up and down to their homes. Imagine carrying water up and down. I think of how I whine at going down one flight of stairs when I have to pee in the middle of the night. How did grandmother cope?

Before you leave visit the small, but well done museum. As a textile artist, I was quite taken by the cotton and yucca fabric bits. Check out the American Southwest Virtual Museum for more textiles.

One last small joy for me was finding Cochineal on a small cactus on the way back to the van. This small bug changed so much in our world when it was brought to Europe by the conquistadors. For a really different look at this time period read A Perfect Red.

Note: If you do not already have a National Parks Senior pass, get one. They are not all that expensive, and you only have to buy it once. Heck, are you planning to not be a Senior next year?

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