Montezuma's Castle

Earlier this month on Artistic Composition I posted a bit about my vacation last month in Arizona, today I would like to focus on Montezuma's Castle. Located high on a cliff this ancient home shows the forethought and ingenuity of the people who once lived here. The location must have offered the residents a great deal of protection.

The only access was made through the use of tall ladders starting at the base of the cliff and extending to ledges either natural or man made in the side of the cliff at which point another ladder would be placed to reach the next ledge. 

I can only image what life must have been like for the residents that were not in the prime of health, for they certainly would have been confined to one area of the castle.  

Walking along a paved walkway at the base of the cliff  one can see glimpses of many small caves in the cliff wall. Some are semi-sealed off with windows in the outer wall and others are open. According to the brochure many of these would have been used for storage and may have been used for individual confinement. Talk about one heck of a "Time Out" spot.

Benches have been placed in various spots to allow visitors to sit and rest or just soak in the soothing atmosphere.

I could not help but wonder if the foliage in the canyon has changed much since the castle was built. There were some trees that looked very old and others of course were not so old but the foliage was very thick in areas.

Not too far from the base of the cliff just a short way off the path we could see the river that supplied the ancient people with water.

 

This park although small is most surely a spot I could find myself returning to often if I lived closer because of its' extremely peaceful setting. If you find yourself in Northern Arizona I strongly recommend visiting this historical location.