Montezuma Castle and Well

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1 This website would like to remind you: Your browser (Apple Safari 4) is out of date. Update your browser for more security, comfort and the best experience on this site. Article Montezuma Castle and Well Cliff dwelling was part of a successful, safe community For the complete article with media resources, visit: BY KIMBERLY DUMKE Saturday, October 30, 2010 Located in the Verde Valley of central Arizona, Montezuma Castle is one of the best-preserved prehistoric structures in North America. It is not actually a castle, but a pre-columbian Pueblo Indian cliff dwelling. It was named by early European settlers, who incorrectly thought the structure was related to the Aztec emperor Montezuma II ( ). It was actually built by the Sinagua (Spanish for without water ) people between 1100 and 1300, long before Montezuma was even born. People lived as hunters and gatherers in the Verde Valley for thousands of years. Two neighboring cultures the Hohokam in the south and the Northern Sinagua in the north are credited with making advances in agriculture and architecture. Between 700 and 900 CE, some Hohokam moved north into the Verde Valley. They were skilled farmers, and they grew crops using a variety of techniques, including canal irrigation. Their dwellings were one-room pit houses, dug partially into the ground on terraces to overlook their fields. Above-ground masonry dwellings buildings made out of rock are attributed to the influence of the Northern Sinagua. Their culture was centered near present-day Flagstaff, Arizona. The Northern Sinagua began to migrate to Verde Valley around By 1150, large pueblos, often on hilltops or in cliffs, were being built by the Southern Sinagua. A pueblo is basically a Native American apartment complex, with many residences and central areas all enclosed in one building. Pueblos are often several stories tall and accessed by ladders. Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot, about 32.2 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of Montezuma Castle, are both multistory pueblos. Montezuma Castle Montezuma Castle is located along Beaver Creek, a small but reliable water source running through the canyon. The Castle was built into a limestone cliff about 24 meters (80 feet) above the valley floor. This conserved precious farmland near the water and offered security. There is little evidence of conflict or warfare, but perhaps people felt more secure living in the Castle, says Anne Worthington, National Park Guide at Montezuma Castle National Monument. A small ruin above the Castle, on the top of the cliff, allows views of the entire countryside. A sentry would have advance warning of anyone entering the 1 of 6

2 area. With five levels and twenty rooms, the Castle could have housed 35 to 50 people. The primary entrance is through a doorway on the second level. Wooden ladders extended through openings in the ceilings and floors provided access to other levels. The walls are made of limestone rocks from the local area. These were stacked and held together with clay, much like bricks are laid today. Adobe was used to coat and seal the outer walls. Although different materials are now used, modern homebuilders still use the same methods. Most of the rooms in the Castle were built on natural ledges. Where ledges were unavailable, the Sinagua built floors. They used large support beams of sycamore wood and cross beams made of dry branches, twigs, grasses, and reeds. Several inches of mud completed both the ceiling and the floor for the next level. Mud construction was ideal for the desert climate. It was cool in the summer and conserved heat in the winter. Around the corner from Montezuma Castle is a larger structure named "Castle A" by the archaeologists who excavated it in It had rooms and could have housed about 100 people. Although it is about twice the size of Montezuma Castle, it is not as well preserved because a fire around the year 1400 destroyed most of the interior. Today, all that can be seen are some collapsed walls and a partially rebuilt foundation. Montezuma Well Montezuma Well, a unit of Montezuma Castle, is located 17.7 kilometers (11 miles) to the northeast. It is a natural sinkhole formed 11,000 years ago by the collapse of a limestone cavern. Measuring meters (368 feet) wide, it is 16.8 meters (55 feet) deep. It is surrounded by cliffs that are 21.3 meters (70 feet) high. Montezuma Well is fed by three or four underwater vents, or fissures. The fissures for the well reach depths of 36.6 to 42.7 meters (120 to 140 feet). Each day, 5.7 million liters (1.5 million gallons) of water flow into the well at a constant temperature of 23.3 degrees Celsius (71.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Scientists have not discovered the origin of the consistently warm water that feeds Montezuma Well, says National Park Ranger Rex Vanderford. They have noted the flow rate from the well rarely fluctuates but the source deep in the Earth s layers remains a mystery, Despite the presence of oxygen in the water, Montezuma Well contains no fish. This is because of extremely high levels of carbon dioxide collected by the water as it passes through limestone. Fish cannot live in an environment with so much carbon dioxide. An isolated and unique ecosystem, Montezuma Well has allowed amphipods small, shrimp-like animals and leeches that feed on them to evolve into species that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet. Montezuma Well was used as a resting spot by wildlife and nomadic tribes for more than 9,000 years. However, there were no permanent settlements there until 1,400 years ago, when agriculture was introduced. The first residents built an irrigation ditch from the well to water their crops. Eventually, the well supported a thriving community of up to 200 people. They built cliff dwellings along the well s rim and pueblos on the hilltops. They also expanded the original irrigation ditch in order to help grow enough food for everyone. Today, water still exits the well through a 91.4-meter (300-foot) cave into this irrigation ditch. The Sinagua People The Sinagua lived principally by farming, but supplemented their staple crops by hunting, gathering, and trading. Their diet relied heavily on corn, which they augmented with game including deer, antelope, rabbit, bear, muskrat, and duck. 2 of 6

3 The Sinagua also mined a nearby salt deposit. Evidence shows that salt was widely traded throughout the region. Talented artisans, the Sinagua fashioned stone tools, such as axes, hammers, and corn grinders. They crafted awls (pointed instruments for piercing holes) and needles from bones. They made garments of cotton and personal ornaments of shell, turquoise, and argillite (a local red stone). They also created highly polished reddishbrown pottery. Montezuma Castle and Well reached their maximum size in the 1300s. By the early 1400s, the Sinagua abandoned the sites and their culture dissolved. Possible explanations for the abandonment of Montezuma Castle include drought, disease, overpopulation, depletion of natural resources leading to crop failure, and conflicts within and between groups. The Sinagua probably joined relatives in large pueblos to the north and east. Their modern descendants include the Hopi, Yavapai, and six other affiliated tribes. The Hopi believe that it was a migration of their ancestors, preordained to fulfill a covenant with one of their most important spiritual beings, and they stress the fact that they did not disappear, states Worthington. They are still very much here. In the late 1800s, Montezuma Castle became a popular tourist site for soldiers, stationed at nearby Fort Verde, and settlers. Some saw it as a site to preserve while others treated it like a treasure chest. Visitors were able to climb a series of three ladders and enter the dwelling until That same year, Interstate 17 was completed and visitation skyrocketed. Due to concerns for both visitor safety and the structure, the ladders were removed. Montezuma Castle National Monument only allows park rangers and other personnel to enter the Castle. They monitor the site to make sure it is structurally sound and no material is stolen or damaged. VOCABULARY Term Part of Speech Definition abandoned adjective deserted. adobe building material made of sun-dried clay, sand, and straw and usually shaped into bricks. agriculture the art and science of cultivating the land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching). amphipod aquatic animal (crustacean) similar to shrimp. ancestor organism from whom one is descended. architecture style and design of buildings or open spaces. argillite type of sedimentary rock made of clay. artisan skilled craftsman. attribute verb to think to be caused by. augment verb to enlarge or add to. awl tool used for piercing small, even holes. Aztec people and culture native to Mexico and Central America. bark typically hard, outer covering of a tree. canal artificial waterway. 3 of 6

4 carbon dioxide greenhouse gas produced by animals during respiration and used by plants during photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is also the byproduct of burning fossil fuels. castle large, well-protected area, often a residence for nobility. cave underground chamber that opens to the surface. Cave entrances can be on land or in water. cavern large cave. cliff steep wall of rock, earth, or ice. climate all weather conditions for a given location over a period of time. conflict a disagreement or fight, usually over ideas or procedures. corn, adjective tall cereal plant with large seeds (kernels) cultivated for food and industry. Also called maize. corn grinder device that separates the corn kernel from its outer covering and breaks it into tiny pieces, creating corn flour or cornmeal. Also called a corn mill or gristmill. cotton cloth made from fibers of the cotton plant. covenant agreement or treaty. crop agricultural produce. damage harm that reduces usefulness or value. deplete verb to use up. diet foods eaten by a specific group of people or other organisms. dissolve verb to break up or disintegrate. drought period of greatly reduced precipitation. dwelling a place to live. ecosystem community and interactions of living and nonliving things in an area. emperor ruler of an empire. estimate verb to guess based on knowledge of the situation or object. evolve verb to develop new characteristics based on adaptation and natural selection. excavate verb to expose by digging. farmer person who cultivates land and raises crops. fissure narrow opening or crack. flourish verb to thrive or be successful. fluctuate verb to constantly change back and forth. foundation structure on which a building is constructed. game wild animals hunted for food. garment article of clothing. Hohokam people and culture of the southwestern U.S. who flourished between CE. Hopi people and culture native to the southwestern U.S. 4 of 6

5 person who gets food by using a combination of hunting, fishing, and foraging. incorrectly adverb wrongly. interior internal or inland. irrigation watering land, usually for agriculture, by artificial means. isolate verb to set one thing or organism apart from others. leech carnivorous or bloodsucking worm. limestone type of sedimentary rock mostly made of calcium carbonate from shells and skeletons of marine organisms. maize corn. masonry dwelling residence made of stone. migrate verb to move from one place or activity to another. mine verb to extract minerals from the Earth. monitor verb to observe and record behavior or data. Montezuma II ( ) Aztec emperor. nomad person who moves from place to place, without a fixed home. occupation job, work, or career. oxygen chemical element with the symbol O, whose gas form is 21% of the Earth's atmosphere. pottery pots, vessels, or other material made from clay or ceramic. precious adjective very valuable. huntergatherer pre- Columbian adjective having to do with the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in prehistoric adjective period of time that occurred before the invention of written records. preordained adjective already decided or determined. preserve verb to maintain and keep safe from damage. primary adjective first or most important. principally adverb mostly. pueblo adobe or stone dwelling. Pueblo Indian person or culture native to one of many tribes of the southwestern U.S., such as Hopi or Taos. reed grass with tall, strong stalks that grows in marshy ecosystems. riparian corridor area near a source of fresh water. salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) crystalline mineral often used as a seasoning or preservative for food. 5 of 6

6 sentry soldier who stands guard to protect something valuable. settler person who migrates and establishes a residence in a largely unpopulated area. Sinagua people and culture native to the southwestern U.S. who flourished between the 1100s- 1400s. sinkhole hole formed in a rock or other solid material by the weight or movement of water. skyrocket verb to increase rapidly. soldier person who serves in a military. staple basic or regular item. supplement verb to increase or add to. sycamore tree native to North America. Also called buttonwood. terrace flat surface created on a steep hillside. thrive verb to develop and be successful. ton unit of weight that equals 2,000 pounds. unique adjective one of a kind. Yavapai people and culture native to the southwestern U.S. For Further Exploration Articles & Profiles Desert USA: Montezuma Well National Monument The Living Desert Oasis Interactives National Park Service: Montezuma Well National Monument Virtual Tour of Montezuma Castle Websites Northern Arizona University: The Sinagua National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. 6 of 6