Around 1400, after centuries of settlement in the Verde Valley, families began leaving homes their families had occupied for generations. The archaeological record suggests that from 1350 to 1400, people began to leave the valley and join larger pueblos to the north and east. They did not disappear, but may have departed for a variety of reasons, including disease, conflict, depleted soils, changing and unpredictable weather patterns, and the apparent end of long-standing trade networks that had provided important social, cultural, and economic contacts. The prospect of a better life elsewhere may also have played a part. Hopi say their ancestors purposefully settled and left villages like Montezuma Castle for a reason involving fulfillment of a spiritual covenant. Many of those who left these Verde Valley communities moved northeast, to large settlements such as Chavez Pass, Homol'ovi, and villages at the Hopi Mesas.