Timeless Beauty

Montezuma Castle was built and occupied more than 700 years ago by ancestors of today’s Puebloan peoples. The reasons they chose this location and the details of life in the cliff dwelling remain uncertain. The names “Montezuma” and “Castle” are misnomers given in the 1800s, when European Americans, fascinated with Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations, gave southwestern sites exotic names; this one was named for Emperor Motecuhzoma II, who lived long after the dwelling was constructed. The Yavapai call the place Gkah-ghaah-gkah-nyuwah’, “the home of the protectors of the Yavapai,” while the Hopi know it as Sakaytaka, “place where the step ladders are going up,” and Wupat pela, “long, high walls.” By the late 1800s it had become a popular destination, but looting and visitor climbing caused increasing loss and damage, and by the early 1900s much of what residents had left behind was gone. In 1906, concerned citizens helped secure its designation as one of the nation’s first national monuments, and access to the dwelling is now limited to inspection, maintenance, and research.

Arizona · United States