Existing comment:
Surrounded by Neighbors:
Though Montezuma Castle may seem remote, by 1300 it was part of a complex network of at least 40 Verde Valley villages. Between 6,000 and 8,000 people may have lived in the valley and its surrounding uplands.
Many Hopi people say Montezuma Castle and the numerous other villages in the valley were built and occupied by clans migrating in waves from the south. The villages here were springboards to settlements further north, and ultimately to villages on the Hopi Mesas. In their view, the Verde Valley was simply a temporary stop in a larger journey, and not the final destination for these people. |