We are going to visit one of the most popular and traditional tourist attractions in the state of Arizona. It is the Montezuma Castle.
Despite its name, we must specify that it is not a castle. It is a huge construction with a total of 20 rooms divided into five floors and which served as the home of the prehistoric Sinagua Indians. Also known as Western Anasazi.
This construction is located in the valley of the Verde River and has an estimated area of 6.70 km². It has been built on a cliff estimated to be 1100 AD.
It is one of the most well preserved cliff dwellings in the entire USA. The desire to preserve the site in the most optimal conditions was a key factor for a conservation movement of historical sites in the United States. In 1906, Moctezuma Castle was declared a National Monument, by proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt. At that time, the Antiquities Act of 1906 - 16 USC 431-433 had just been approved, which has been used on multiple occasions
In this National Monument, visitors have direct access to the wonderful legacy left by the Sinagua culture. The construction is made entirely of adobe bricks and stands at about 50 feet tall.
In 1951, the National Park Service closed the entrance to the general public to the house, to avoid further damage to this structure. For this reason, visitors can only visit the exterior facade. Only authorized personnel of national parks are allowed to enter the ruin to control and preserve its integrity. Thus, one of the best options for the most curious is to take a virtual tour of the Monument through its official website, to take a tour that very few people can see, and to be able to observe its interior in detail.
This is one of the many sites that are protected by the US government, which aim to take care of most of the ruins and Indian prehistoric artifacts.
Grand Canyon National Park is another attraction to visit in the state of Arizona. And it is one of the most visited national parks in the world