Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument are very impressive glimpses into the life and history of the area near Camp Verde, Arizona. One being a five story home built into the limestone cliff walls circa 1200. The other a vast, sprawling 110 room pueblo built on a hilltop. Both are spectacular sights to see and impressive construction feats!

Although the structures that make up the two national monuments are very different from each other, they are both part of the Southern Sinagua culture area. These two preserved sites were built between 1000-1300 and communities thrived within them. Learning about the construction of Montezuma Castle and the Tuzigoot Pueblo is fascinating. And the day to day lifestyle and survival methods of these thriving communities are just as interesting. If you are interested in what was life was like before life as we know it, both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument are worth a visit!

Read on for more information regarding planning your trip to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument. And to find out more about these structures, skip to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot Pueblo below.

Quick Info:

During your visit at either/both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments you will find that they each have a visitor center, informative exhibits, and a short hard-surfaced walking trail.

Montezuma Castle National Monument has a mellow walking trail. It is about 1/3 of a mile to reach the impressive structure built into the cliff wall.

Tuzigoot National Monument also has a hard-surfaced walking trail that is about 1/3 of a mile. This path is as more of an incline as you climb to reach the impressive pueblo on the hilltop.

Getting to Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle National Monument is located about 50 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona off of I-17.

The address is 2800 Montezuma Castle Road, Camp Verde, AZ 86322. You can click here to get directions.

Getting to Tuzigoot National Monument

Tuzigoot National Monument is located about 50 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona off of US Alt 89.

The address is 25 Tuzigoot Rd, Clarkdale, AZ 86324. You can click here to get directions.

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument Hours

Both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument are open seven days a week from 8:00 – 5:00 with a few exceptions.

Both national monuments are closed on 12/25 and 01/01. And they close at 2:00 pm on Thanksgiving day, 12/24 and 12/31.

Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument Fees

The entrance fee for Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument is $10 per adult. Children 15 years and under are free.

There are also annual passes available. The Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monument Annual Pass covers the pass holder and three other adults entrance into both Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot for one year from date of purchase.

About Montezuma Castle

Montezuma Castle is the name given to the elaborate and very well preserved five story structure built into the limestone cliff walls. There are about 20 rooms within this structure. And it is approximated that it housed 35-50 people. But, there is a much larger community, of between 150-200 people, that lived here in total. This is including families living in the nearby pueblos, rock shelters and other hillside rooms.

Only the top story of Montezuma Castle is in a natural cave. The lower stories are supported by a combination of cliff edges and dirt fill. You can learn more about how the Native Americans built, supported and engineered this elaborate living space on your visit to Montezuma Castle National Monument!

Why is this structure named Montezuma Castle? Early settlers were very impressed by the sight of the structure. And upon their discovery, they assumed that it was Aztec in origin and so it was called Montezuma Castle.

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Why did they build their home into the cliff walls? It is believed that there are numerous reasons for doing so! For instance, by building into an alcove, they bypassed the need to build four walls and a roof. Building into a shady and insulated alcove kept their home cool in the summer yet warm in the winter. And they also saved room on the level land by the streams for more crops.

These farming communities thrived until around 1350-1400. This location supported these communities with its reliable water source and fertile land alongside it.

Montezuma Castle became a national monument in 1906. Although the majority of what you see today is original though preservation treatments have been applied to help withstand visitors and to keep the walls intact. According to other Native Americans, dwellings like Montezuma Castle were meant to recycle back to the earth after the inhabitants left. Even so, the structure named Montezuma Castle is thought to be one of the best preserved sites from the period.

About Tuzigoot Pueblo

Tuzigoot is a 110 room village composed of local stone and timber materials that sits 120 feet above the Verde Valley. The original pueblo was two stories high in some places and there were 87 ground floor rooms. This Southern Sinagua village was built between 1000-1100.

Where did Tuzigoot get its name? The original name used over 600 years ago is unknown so the pueblo was renamed by archeologist. They chose the name Tuzigoot which translates to “crooked water”.

The Tuzigoot Pueblo was an active trading center for many different Indian groups to the north. This has been attributed by the great collection of tools, ceramics and other craft products uncovered during archeological excavations. These findings cast a light on which tribes traded here and from where they travelled from.

According to the National Park Service, it is believed that the village began as a cluster of small rooms with about 50 inhabitants for approximately 100 years. Then, in the 1200s the populations doubled and then doubled again. Villages reached their maximum size in the 1300s.

The location of Tuzigoot was likely chosen because of the abundance of nearby resources including water from the rivers and streams, fertile land along the waterways and sufficient game in the area. In the early 1400s, the Southern Sinagua peoples migrated away from their pueblos. The reasons for this migration are unclear, though there are of course speculations.

Thanks for Reading!

A trip to Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments is a great way to learn about the Southern Sinagua culture and to witness their elaborate architecture! We thought building a home into a cliff wall was a fascinating and brilliant idea. And building a structure that can withstand over 500 years with just the materials nearby is really an impressive feat! We were glad that we stopped at Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments.

We live full time on the road and we love seeing, experiencing and learning new things along our travels! If you’d like to see some of our other adventures, check out the links below:

• Bumpass Hell + Cold Boiling Lake and Crumbaugh Lake
• Exploring the Gorgeous Valley of Fire State Park
• Rattlesnake Canyon Hike

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