There is a small section of cliff north of Phoenix that contains a cliff house. I saw this cliff house many years ago and thought it was unique. After this summer’s travels I know there are several places where cliff houses exist that were occupied by Native Americans between 800-1300A.D.

This dwelling was called Montezuma’s Castle although it is not Aztec. The people who named it that thought it was and the name has stuck.

In addition to the cliff dwelling, there are rooms at ground level along the cliff and other alcoves that were occupied.

This area would have been very pleasant for the people who lived here, as there’s a spring that provides fresh water all year round, flat land near the cliff for farming and lots of trees because of the abundance of water. There is evidence that the people who lived here hunted deer and antelope and farmed beans, corn and several kinds of squashes.

As with other cliff dwellings in the area, it was abandoned sometime in the 1300s. It’s not known why but modern Native Americans believe they just felt it was time to move along, and they still return to this and other Native American ruins where they believe their ancestors still reside.

Here are some pictures we took: