Montezuma Castle National Monument

Our next stop was Montezuma Castle, a five-story, 20-room dwelling built by the Southern Sinagua in the 1100's. (It was originall thought to be Aztec in origon, hence the name.) The visitor's center shows a video about the history and surrounding area. You can view the monument from below but are not allowed to climb up into it. The buildings were badly crumbling and in danger of collapse several years ago when restoration work was started (and funded) by two individuals who could not get funding to preserve the deteriorating structures from federal or state sources. Thanks to their efforts and personal sacrifice, this remarkable site has been preserved for us all to enjoy. A short distance to the west of this site (easy walking distance) are the ruins of another structure that was even larger than this one.