The Sinister Story Behind This Popular Arizona National Monument Will Give You The Chills
There’s no questioning the violent history Arizona has had over the centuries. It’s been documented in written form ever since Spaniards began traveling north into Arizona’s vast deserts clad in their heavy Conquistador armor. And while a great number of atrocities have occurred in the centuries since then, Indigenous oral histories and archaeological evidence suggest the threat of violence was nothing new for societies living in the area.
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Located in the Verde Valley, just outside Camp Verde, Montezuma Castle National Monument is a well-preserved cliff dwelling that was home to the Sinagua. Ancestors of the Hopi, the Sinagua built this large, multi-story home around 1050 AD and housed a modest population of about 50 in its 4,000 square feet. Visitors today can see the monument from the ground below; the interior has been closed off to everyone except archaeologists and anthropologists to reduce deterioration, defacement, and vandalism.
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Charred walls, burned wood, broken pottery, and even remains of some of its former residents suggest the castle went up in flames from an attack, perhaps without warning. The human remains showed signs of blunt trauma and violent burns, perhaps before death. Until recently, the most common assumption was the Sinagua left due to drought.
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Hopi oral history details the villagers seeking shelter inside the dwelling, "isolating themselves inside while invaders set it on fire." Meanwhile, Tonto Apache stories talk about forming an alliance with the Yavapai to evict "the Sinagua from the cliff dwellings by ‘burning them out.’" However, the details are slim as to why the Sinagua would be forced out and what happened after the fire.
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Montezuma Castle National Monument is located just outside of Camp Verde, off Interstate 17. You can find details about visiting the monument by checking out their website with the National Park Service.
You can learn about the violent underreported history of another Arizona location, at Aravaipa Canyon. Read about the tragic Camp Grant Massacre in This Place In Arizona Has A Dark And Evil History That Will Never Be Forgotten.
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