This towering cliff dwelling so impressed early visitors that they thought the famous Aztec ruler, Montezuma, had built it. Actually this pueblo was neither a castle nor part of Montezuma's empire. Sinagua Indians built this structure in the 12th and 13th centuries, toward the end of their stay in the Verde Valley. The five-story stone and mortar structure contains 20 rooms tucked back under a cliff 100 feet above Beaver Creek. The overhang shielded the village from rain, snow and the hot summer sun, but allowed the low winter sun's rays to warm the dwellings. The well-preserved ruins, once occupied by about 50 people, are too fragile to enter. An even larger pueblo once stood against the base of the cliff; "Castle A" had 6 stories and about 45 rooms, but little remains today.
Montezuma Well This natural sinkhole, 11 miles northeast of Montezuma Castle, measures 470 ft across and is only partly filled by a 55 ft deep lake. The Sinagua built pueblos here between AD 1125 and 1400 and used the water to irrigate their crops. Parts of their villages and irrigation canals can still be seen.