Although Montezuma Castle is the show place of the monument, it is not the only building here. Once upon a time, its 20 rooms stood along side more than 65 others in the castle, Between 85-90 rooms housed a community of perhaps 150 people.
This is a model of what it might have looked liked inside the walls of the castle. If you click on the photo, and look at the very top floor you can see an elder who carefully acts as a lookout in case of an approaching enemy tribe.
You can see in this photo the various levels of the castle. It took ladders to climb the castle which made it incredibly difficult for enemy tribes to penetrate the natural defense of the vertical barrier.
To construct their cliff tower, the residents created walls with river cobbler and limestone held together with mud mortar. Mud plaster covered and sealed the walls.
To construct their cliff tower, the residents created walls with river cobbler and limestone held together with mud mortar. Mud plaster covered and sealed the walls.
You can see a window in the center left portion of this photo. By 1425, Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot and other villages throughout the valley were no longer occupied. However, the people did not disappear. Their descendants still live nearby, and they still return periodically to these villages of long ago.
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