Camp Verde, Arizona

Dinner at Silly Al's Pizza while overnighting in Quartzsite, Arizona

Montezuma Castle, a window into the past. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a story of ingenuity, survival and ultimately, prosperity in an unforgiving desert landscape.

Neither part of the monument's name is correct. When European-Americans first observed the ruins in the 1860s, by then long-abandoned, they named them for the famous Aztec emperor Montezuma in the mistaken belief that he had been connected to their construction.  In fact, the dwelling was abandoned more than 40 years before Montezuma was born, and was not a "castle" in the traditional sense, but instead functioned more like a "prehistoric high rise apartment complex".

Beaver Creek, one of several perennial streams that make their way into the Verde River.

A pit house, dated to around 1050 CE, is located on the north side of the entrance road to Montezuma Well. This pit house, likely a dwelling for multiple families. The ruins show the outline of the structure with holes for wall posts and two large holes in the center for roof supports.

History of Montezuma Well

The land around Montezuma Well has been home to many prehistoric groups of people since as early as 11,000 CE. The first historical groups came to the Verde Valley after Arizona became a territory in 1863. Some accounts say Spanish settlers traveled through earlier, in the 1500s, but did not settle in the area.

The first Anglo-Americans to settle at Montezuma Well were Wales and Jennie Arnold in 1870. They operated a mail station and used the irrigation canal to water their land. The land then passed through a series of ranchers, farmers, and business people until William and Margorie Back claimed right to the land. They operated a ranch, farm, and orchard in the area. Legend claims that Abraham Lincoln “Link” Smith purchased the land around the Well in 1887 for one horse. Smith then sold the claim to the Backs in 1889 for a team of horses, thereby “doubling his profit.”

The Backs also converted Montezuma Well into a tourist attraction for the first time. The family charged for tours, displayed artifacts found at nearby archeological sites, and later operated campgrounds, picnic areas, and a resort where guests could stay. Some of the biggest attractions were boat tours of the Well. The family even, unsuccessfully, attempted to stock the Well with varieties of fish so that guests could go fishing, until the fish died soon after being introduced to the water. The Backs owned and maintained the land around the Well for more than 60 years.

The Backs agreed to sell the land to the US government and Congress approved the legislation in 1943. But funding was delayed, so Montezuma Well did not become part of the National Park Service until 1947.

 Montezuma Well is a natural limestone sinkhole through which some 1,500,000 gallons of water emerge each day from an underground spring. The well measures 386 feet in diameter from rim to rim and contains a near-constant volume of spring water even in times of severe drought. The water is highly carbonated and contains high levels of arsenic. At least five endemic species, the most of any spring in the southwestern United States, are found exclusively in Montezuma Well: a diatom, the Montezuma Well Springsnail, a water scorpion, the Hyalella Montezuma amphipod, and the Motobdella Montezuma Leech.

Cliff dwellings are perched along the rim of Montezuma Well.

Ruins of a Sinagua house

Today, visitors can still see the irrigation canal,  The shaded forest along the trail near the swallet ruin and the outlet provides welcome relief from the unrelenting Arizona sunshine. The temperature difference at the outlet can be up to 20 degrees cooler than along the rim of the Well.

As with Montezuma Castle, the label "Montezuma" is a misnomer: the Aztec emperor Montezuma had no connection to the site or the early indigenous peoples that occupied the area.

Tuzigoot Pueblo, a 110-room village built around a thousand years ago.

Hilltop living

Jerome

Built in 1918, The Little Daisy is a breathtaking, century-old estate in the heart of Jerome. Whether you’re planning a wedding, hosting a private retreat, or seeking an unforgettable stay, this historic mansion offers unparalleled beauty and luxury.  Anyone up for a party?