NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?An almost fully intact five-story twenty, room 12th Century southwestern Indian building constructed on the side of a limestone cliff. The Site also includes Montezuma Well, a limestone sinkhole that provided the Sinagua people with a desert oasis for hundreds of years.
BEAUTY (7/10)
Montezuma Castle is imposing, mysterious and completely natural. It is an apartment complex tucked into the side of a cliff that has bravely fought erosion for almost 1,000 years. The building looks as if it has been carved out its surrounding walls. Montezuma Castle looks perfectly organic and no more out of the ordinary than the swallows’ nests that line the cliffs.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (4/10)
Montezuma Castle has nothing to do with Aztec emperor Montezuma. Settlers assumed that the astounding structures was so incredible that it had to have been related to the “more-advanced” culture of the south. While the people of the region had trade-relations with the Aztec nation, this building is completely unrelated.
The enigmatic Sinagua people built Montezuma Castle. Little is known about these people and little is taught at the National Park Sites dedicated to them. No one knows what historical significance this Site might have enjoyed.
CROWDS (5/10)
Our jaws dropped at first glance of the full parking lot. Numerous RV’s, bus tours, Harley’s and many rentals. We did not expect to run into many people. The Museum was unbearably full but the paved trail to the cliff dwellings was surprisingly sparse. We had no trouble snapping the obligatory photos. We even had a pleasant conversation with two fellow tourists from back east.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (4/5)
Montezuma Castle is less than a mile from Interstate 17, Exit 289. It is about 50 miles south of Flagstaff and 90 miles north of Phoenix. The trail that leads to the Castle is paved and easily accessible. For preservation’s sake, there is no access into the cliff dwellings.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
50% of the titles in the bookstore seemed to be aimed towards children. Even though we weren’t the demographic the store was seeking, we appreciated the signs that highlighted staff favorites and award-winning stories. There was little to elaborate on the Sinagua or the significance of what we were here to see. The store itself had two parts – a crowded cul-de-sac for the books and a larger kiosk with souvenirs and gifts.
COSTS (3/5)Entrance is $3 per person or free with the National Parks Pass.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
Midday Saturday, full parking lot, a perfect, sunny 80 degrees outside and only two Rangers, both perched securely behind the desk collecting entrance fees. Our questions as well as our compliments of the Park’s superb photo collection were met with brush offs. Our favorite dismissal was, “Yes, the pictures are nice. They were taken at Tuzigoot NM. They have a talented Ranger there.” After four straight highly disappointing Native American related Arizona parks, we hope that there is a talented Ranger somewhere.
TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
The newly remodeled Museum does not use its space wisely. The exhibits are stuffed together, the sightlines are low and the traffic is not handled well. The museum shares the same drawbacks as the three Flagstaff sites. The history is not explained well, questions inevitably are raised, there is no one there to help and frustration results.
A full wall displays a timeline that shows what was happening in the rest of the world when Montezuma Castle was built. The realization that the erection of these meager cliff dwellings coincided with the building of the Gothic Cathedrals at Chartres and Notre Dame stirred up a disturbing amount of cultural superiority/bigotry that we thought were sufficiently suppressed. Of course, the museum makes an unfair comparison; one is art, the other is an apartment complex. Perhaps the intention is to educate, but the exhibit’s result is to disparage the wonder that you are about to see as well as the people who built it.
Money and staffing shortage allow for no Ranger talks.
FUN (3/10)
We were disappointed that we could not go anywhere near the dwellings but we understand. We did not have fun at the Museum but viewing Montezuma Castle was a treat.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (5/10)
Montezuma Castle is so easily accessible from Interstate 17 and such an amazing example of natural architecture that it merits a visit. You don’t need to spend much time to take in the Site. There are no tours, the Museum is sub-par and you cannot go into the dwellings. So you leave the highway, park, flash the National Parks Pass, go outside, look at Montezuma Castle, take a few pictures, take in the surroundings (if you’d like) and go back to your car. In and out in 20 minutes, max. Quick fun should not be a selling point for an American treasure but Montezuma Castle is what it is.
TOTAL 37/80
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