Planning a trip to Arizona can be an exciting adventure as you look at the map and mark sites you want see. I think you will be pleasantly surprised to see a variety of interesting places from archaeology digs to mark-up western towns.       In this review I want to single out Montezuma Castle National Monument. The "castle" is located about 50 miles south of Flagstaff off I-17 just south of Sedona; the interstate is well marked so you can't miss it. Montezuma Castle is a 20 room cliff dwelling built by Native American Sinagua farmers in the early 12th century. One hundred feet above the valley floor you can see the dwelling in a cliff recess. Early settlers of the west saw the awsome structure and mistakenly thought it was a "castle" built by Aztecan refugees for their emperor,Montezuma. Archeologists have since made extensive study of "trash" left behind and know that Montezuma's people had nothing to do with it. The dwellings are prehistoric ,meaning the the people who built them left no written history. Studies prove that they were built and occupied between 1100 and 1400 A.D. Beaver Creek flows at the foot of the cliff and played the main role in survival. The natives dug irrigation ditches which carried water to cultivated fields accross the creek. Today the creek area near the castle is fenced off,but you can rest nearby and listen to the soothing ripples and transcend back to the peaceful times when a gentle community went about their daily business. After about 300 years of occupation the Sinagua farmers left without a trace of why or where they went. You can draw your own conclusions as you stroll along the 1/3 mile winding concrete path at the foot of the cliff. As you walk along the path you will see signs describing the castle and giving historical information. For the nature enthusiast there are plaques naming plants and bushes that are native to the area. You will see a variety of birds and I think you will enjoy the quail families that race across the paths



Recommended: Yes