Near Camp Verde in Yavapai County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

People Next Door

Photographed by James Hulse, June 19, 2024

1. People Next Door Marker

Inscription. This cliff may seem a featureless stone face with a few holes and broken walls, but look closely and the rocks reveal the outline of a once large and vibrant neighbor to Montezuma Castle.

Because Montezuma Castle suffered extensive looting, much of what we know about life here - what people ate, what they made, who they traded with, and when they lived - comes from the excavation of this site, which archeologists named "Castle A." A pueblo with about 45 rooms in multiple levels once stood against this cliff face.

If you look carefully, you may see beam sockets carved into the cliff at several levels. The upper row of sockets, reveals the roofline of the fifth and highest level of the structure. Archeologists excavated this site in the 1930s, removing the rubble and reconstructing these lower rooms. They determined the pueblo had burned, causing it to fall away from the cliff.

You can see the location of this dwelling and its relationship to Montezuma Castle more readily from the creek. Continue along the trail for this perspective.

Captions
Called Castle A by archeologists, this site was larger than Montezuma Castle. Look for the floor levels and the sockets that once held roof beams to see where the stories were in this impressive pueblo.

The image above is a 1930s reconstruction of what a room here might have looked like. It was removed in the 1970s because of safety concerns.

Erected by Montezuma

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Castle National Monument.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 34° 36.72′ N, 111° 50.565′ W. Marker is near Camp Verde, Arizona, in Yavapai County. It is on Montezuma Castle Road one mile east of Beaver Creek Estates Road. The marker is located along the loop hiking trail at the Montezuma Castle National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2800 Montezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde AZ 86322, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Arizona’s Verde Valley

and in the Yavapai-Apache Nation.

It is also in the American Southwest

and in the Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alcoves and Cavates (within shouting distance

Photographed by James Hulse, June 19, 2024

2. People Next Door Marker

of this marker); Growing a Livelihood (within shouting distance of this marker); Lifeline / Prehistoric Produce (within shouting distance of this marker); Aloft but not Alone (within shouting distance of this marker); On the Move (within shouting distance of this marker); A Piece of Modern Monument History (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cycles of Care (about 300 feet away); Creating a Home (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camp Verde.

Other markers no longer nearby. The People Next Door (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); The Neighborhood / Mysterious Departures (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); The Way Up / Construction Sequence (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Montezuma Castle - History & Culture. National Park Service

On December 8, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt celebrated the passage of the Antiquities Act by declaring four sites of historic and cultural significance as our nation's first National Monuments. Among
Photographed by James Hulse, June 19, 2024

3. The view of the People Next Door Marker along the cliff
these was Montezuma Castle, which the President identified as a place "of the greatest ethnological value and scientific interest." Although very few original artifacts remained in the structure due to intensive looting of the site, Roosevelt's decision assured the continued protection of one of the best preserved prehistoric cliff dwellings in North America.

(Submitted on July 18, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Montezuma Castle image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, June 19, 2024

4. Montezuma Castle

Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 18, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.