Existing comment:
Life in the Verde Valley:
Tuzigoot:
For centuries, this village of stone and timber above the Verde River was an active trading center for many different Indian groups to the north. A rich collection of tools, ceramics and craft products found during archeological excavations is on display.
The name used six centuries ago for this village is unknown. Archaeologists named it "Tuzigoot" which means "crooked water" in the Apache language. The Yavapai people, residents of the Verde Valley today, call it "Ichikiyukanuwa."
Montezuma Castle:
About fifty people once made the dark and smoky rooms of Montezuma Castle their home. They spent most of their time outside on the rooftops, or in the woods and fields below.
If the Sinagua weren't hiding, why did they built fifty feet up in the cliff? Mostly, it was for practical reasons. They took advantage of an alcove to save building four walls and a roof. They knew that shady, insulated alcoves were cool in the summer, yet warm in winter. They saved level land by the streams for farming.
Montezuma Well:
Half filled with spring water, this limestone depression or "sink" is uncommon due to its symmetry and size. The people called Hohokan and Sinagua built dwellings around it and along its edge. From the well outlet, they dug irrigation ditches to divert water to their fields.
The site is important to several tribes of today, including many Hopi clans who trace their ancestors to these settlements. Today it is administered as a unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument. |