Montezuma Castle National Monument 5

Montezuma Castle National Monument 5

Aside from its geological interest, this area is a monument to the

ingenuity of the former Indian inhabitants. Here they built their homes

around the lake from which water was diverted into irrigation ditches

for purposes of watering their farms.

 

Today the rim of the Well is 70 feet above the surface of the water. The

lake measures over 400 feet across and the springs feeding it flow

continually. Nature, in this manner, provided the Indians (and later

settlers) with a huge supply of water for irrigation of the dry desert

soil.

 

In May 1948, a diver went down into the Well to determine its depth and

explore the bottom. After coming up from the first dive, he said the

water was so warm that he had to remove all clothing except for his

swimming trunks. The temperatures at the bottom and on the surface

differ by some 4° to 7° in summer. On surfacing from another dive, he

remarked that the black muddy bottom was broken by two white mounds of

sandy material near the west shore, and that the water in this region

was cool. Continued search in this spot did not reveal an actual inlet

to explain the cool water or the presence of the limestone mounds, which

may have been inlets at one time. Several descents revealed the saucer

shape of the Well and a maximum depth of 55 feet near the center.

 

[Illustration: MONTEZUMA WELL AREA

APRIL 1958]

 

[Illustration: _Diagram of undercut grave at Montezuma Well._]

 

The Well has a constant flow at the outlet spring of 1½ million gallons

of water every day. A person viewing this cup-shaped depression, half

filled with water, could easily doubt this statement of flow, for the

surface presents a placid and serene appearance. The water, acting like

a giant mirror, reflects the blue Arizona sky, and stimulates visiting

photographers to take many pictures.

 

On the rim, and in the ledges and caves below, are remnants of former

Indian homes—reminders that in the past this body of water stood for

more than natural beauty. Its presence made possible a thriving farming

community of about 150 to 200 Indians between 1125 and 1400.

 

Archeological features include the remains of two pueblos on the rim of

the Well. The larger contained about 24 ground-floor rooms, and the

other 15. Three small cliff dwellings are located in the western ledges

and several rooms are hidden in a large cave near the place where the

Well water goes underground before emerging at the outlet spring.

 

Two burial grounds have been discovered, one on the flat below the Well,

and the other near the small pueblo. As mentioned in a previous section,

the method in which the Indians at Montezuma Well buried adults was

rather unusual. They excavated a rectangular pit in the ground, roughly

3 by 6 feet. About 3 feet below the surface, they broke through a fairly

hard 8- to 10-inch limestone layer commonly found underground in this

area. After digging about 2 feet below this layer, they dug to one side,

underneath the limestone, forming an undercut grave. This was made large

enough for the body to lay at full length inside, and to accommodate

funeral offerings, usually including pottery vessels. The undercut

portion was closed with 3 or 4 large slabs of limestone, which were

sealed with mud to prevent any dirt from entering. Then the pit was

filled with dirt to complete the burial. Nowhere else in the Southwest

are undercut graves quite like these found.

 

[Illustration: _Modern irrigation ditch flows beside lime-coated

bank of ancient irrigation ditch._]

 

Along the north edge of the farmland you can see the most unusual

feature at Montezuma Well: “fossilized” irrigation ditches of the

ancient Indian farms! The water in the Well is warm and contains much

lime. As the water flowed through the ancient irrigation ditches, some

evaporated and lime particles settled to the bottom. Also, each time the

Indians finished irrigating, they probably turned the water back into

Beaver Creek to avoid flooding the farms. What little water remained in

the ditches evaporated, leaving more lime particles. Over a period of

time, these particles coated the ditches—thus actually cementing them.

In this way the ancient waterways have been preserved as monuments to

the first farmers of the Verde Valley. Interestingly, the same process

continues today in modern irrigation ditches using waters from the Well.

 

 

 

 

_History of the Monument_

 

 

The Spanish were the first Europeans to visit the immediate area of the

monument. No reference by them to Montezuma Castle has been found;

however, in 1583, the Antonio de Espejo Expedition probably visited

Montezuma Well. Espejo journeyed from the Hopi Indian villages in

northeastern Arizona to the Verde River, traveling down a stream

identified as Beaver Creek—thus he had to pass Montezuma Well. A further

indication that he passed the Well is found in one of the expedition

journals which describes an abandoned pueblo and a ditch running from a

nearby pond.

 

While the Verde Valley was Spanish and Mexican territory, no settlements

were established in the immediate vicinity of the monument.

 

As a result of the war with Mexico (1846-48), the United States acquired

the Verde Valley. By 1865, enough settlers had come into the valley to

warrant the establishment of Fort Verde near the location of present-day

Camp Verde. The earliest date of a pioneer visitor’s scratched

inscription in Montezuma Castle is 1880; however, it is known that the

ruin was visited by army personnel in the 1860’s. Dr. Edgar A. Mearns,

who was assigned to the fort, wrote the first detailed account of

Montezuma Castle. It was published in 1890 in the _Popular Science

Monthly_, and described the ruin very much as it is today:

 

Upon my first visit in 1884, it was evident that nothing more than a

superficial examination had ever been made. In 1886 I caused the

debris on the floors to be shoveled over. This material consisted of a

quantity of dust and broken fragments of pottery and stone implements,

together with the accumulation of guano from bats that inhabited the

building. This accumulation, in the largest room of the top floor, was

4 feet in depth. As no one had ever disturbed it, the floor was found

in exactly the same condition in which it was left by the latest

occupants.

 

A few years later, the first repair work was done. In 1897, members of

the Arizona Antiquarian Association visited Montezuma Castle and, with

funds raised by subscription, cleaned up the ruin and performed repairs

including the installation of ladders, iron anchor rods, and corrugated

iron roofs.

 

On December 8, 1906, by Presidential proclamation, 160 acres were set

aside from the public domain to preserve Montezuma Castle as a National

Monument. By Presidential proclamation of February 23, 1937, 366 acres

were added to the area to give better protection to the monument

entrance and to the area in the foreground of the ruin. On April 4,

1947, Montezuma Well was acquired by the Federal Government through

purchase from private owners. This last purchase gave the monument a

total area of somewhat over 1 square mile.

 

[Illustration: _Montezuma Castle as it looked to early visitors._]

 

[Illustration: _Beaver Creek north of Montezuma Castle._]

 

 

 

 

_The Natural Scene_

 

 

The landscape of the Verde Valley is wild, spectacular, and mountainous,

dropping from forested mountain ranges and high mesas down to sparsely

vegetated desert valleys with ribbons of dense growth bordering the

valley streams. Clear desert air projects this rugged scene upon your

mind with almost frightening intensity. Towering thunderheads and filmy

streaks of high cirrus clouds emphasize the harshly blue skies.

 

Though the desert landscape looks bleak, it nourishes an astonishing

variety of plant and animal life.

 

Typical plants of the desert flats and slopes are creosote bush,

mesquite, cactus, yucca, and agave. Cottonwood, sycamore, and several

species of willow flourish along streams and washes. You can see all of

these plants within the monument boundaries—many of them on the nature

trail below Montezuma Castle.

 

The monument, situated on the northern limit of the Lower Sonoran plant

zone, exhibits other plants more typical of the higher region a few

miles to the north where the Upper Sonoran zone begins. Some of these

are hackberry, juniper, sumac, and Indian paint brush.

 

The plant collections at Montezuma Castle include 167 species

representing 49 families. The wide variety of plants within this

relatively small area attracts birds and small animals in their search

for food. Undoubtedly these plants were an aid in supplementing the diet

of the prehistoric Indians. Many wild plants were and still are used by

the Indians of the Southwest for other purposes—basketry and sandal

weaving, medicines, and ceremonial uses.

 

[Illustration: _Collared lizards_]

 

In 1948 a preliminary survey was made of the plants in the Montezuma

Well section—189 different plants representing 60 families were

collected in that area alone. The variety of plantlife for food or other

uses, in addition to the amazing water supply, made the Well a very

attractive area for Indian settlement.

 

Many birds have been observed in the monument—149 bird species have been

recorded at the Castle in 19 years of observation; and 140 species have

been recorded at the Well since 1948. Many birds live in the region

throughout the year, while others are seasonal visitors. Ducks and geese

are plentiful in the winter, particularly at Montezuma Well, where they

rest between their long flights.

 

The animals and reptiles of the monument are typical of this desert

area. Most common are jackrabbit, cottontail rabbit, porcupine, raccoon,

beaver, skunk, ground squirrel, rock squirrel, rattlesnake, bull snake,

and water snake. Other forms of life which are present in the summer are

lizard, black widow spider, tarantula, scorpion, centipede, and cicada

(locust).

 

[Illustration: _Beaver Creek—an oasis in the desert._]

 

As long as you are reasonably careful about where you step and avoid

putting your hands on ledges or in crevices, none of the poisonous

species presents any danger.

 

Nature’s calendar of events for this area might read as follows:

 

_Autumn_—Crisp, clear weather; time for the departure of summer birds

and arrival of winter ducks; beginning of the hibernation period for

snakes, lizards, and insects; termination of autumn flowers.

 

_Winter_—Usually mild with occasional snow flurries; glimpses of deer

and antelope coming off the mountains into the valley; continual traffic

southward of ducks and geese on migration lanes; dominance of large

flocks of juncos throughout the area.

 

_Spring_—High winds and occasional rains; spring flowers coloring the

slopes and mesas; influx of insects along with insect-catching birds and

lizards; appearance of snakes and rodents; departure of ducks for

northern breeding grounds.

 

_Summer_—Heat and occasional thunderstorms to match the drama of the

survival of the fittest—insects feeding on flowers and plants; birds and

lizards feeding on insects; rodents feeding on seeds and eggs; snakes

feeding on rodents; hawks and owls feeding on snakes and rodents; the

scavenger of the desert, the vulture, cleaning up wherever he finds his

meal; and the skunk continually knocking over the garbage pail.