Montezuma Castle National Monument protects several historic dwellings constructed by Arizona's Sinagua indigenous people, a pre-Columbian culture that thrived throughout the region between 1100 and 1425 A.D. The monument takes its name from the legend of famed Aztec emperor Montezuma, who European settlers mistakenly believed the settlement to belong to when the ruins were found in the 1860s.
It spans 860 acres near the intersection of the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range, protected as a national monument since 1906. Visitors can view the preserved five-story dwelling, which was constructed over the course of three centuries and contains approximately 60 rooms. A ?-mile paved interpretive trail embarks from the monument's visitor center, which also features exhibits about traditional Sinagua culture and tools.
Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ, Phone: 928-567-3322