Sunday, October 11, 2009

Traveler Journeys to Montezuma's Castle

Well, we finally had some time to go exploring around Sedona. The girls have been super busy with Tony's art show and events and I have had to sit in Jill's purse while they worked. Finally, they let me out!

Let's hit the road girls, let's go!

We stopped at an overlook, there is the town of Sedona below.

This is Cathedral Rock. I wanted to climb up to the top and to the big Vortex that is supposed to be up there, but the girls said we didn't have time. I am getting a bit mad at the girls...

This is Prickly Pear- it hurts!

There goes Sally, strolling right by. Wait up Sally! Since I can't seem to get her into a Vortex, maybe I can get her into a patch of Prickly Pear...

Wow! Look at that! It's Montezuma's Castle. This dwelling was built by the Sinagua farmers in the year 1100. Sinagua means "without water" and these people were a prehistoric culture that once flourished in the Verde Valley. I wonder what it would have been like to live way up there?

This is called Montezuma's Well. It is a limestone sinkhole through which 1.4 Million gallons of water flows every day! Incredibly the water remains at 76 degrees all year round.

Some more cliff dwellings around the rim of the Well.

The entire area was covered with Pueblos where people lived and farmed for hundreds of years. No one knows why, but in the 1400's the Southern Sinagua people abandoned their homes. It is believed that factors such as drought, depletion of natural resources, conflicts within the group or disease may have driven them out. Now, it is quiet and peaceful. I wonder why they didn't ever come back?






2 comments:

phaedra96 said...

Um, Traveler. Heads up here. If you want to go traveling, you certainly do not want Sally in the prickly pear. Just sayin'

Mikey said...

That's one of my favorite places to go. Lucky Traveler!