Montezuma Castle National Monument in Yavapai County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Way Up / Construction Sequence
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
1. The Way Up Marker
The Way Up
How in the world do you build a structure large enough to house 35 people high up on a steep canyon wall? Sound impossible? Here’s how Montezuma Castle’s ingenious Sinagua farmers managed it.
Construction Sequence
1. Limestone ledges and caves before the castle was built.
2. First construction; a six-room unit (3rd floor).
3. Small room added at west (left) end; one room built on next (4th) floor.
4. Fourth floor expanded. Two rooms built in small cave (2nd floor).
5. Parapet and two rooms built at top (5th floor); three small rooms at front (1st, 2nd floors).
6. Three stacked rooms formed the central “tower” (1st, 2nd, 3rd floors). Small storage rooms may have been built earlier.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Architecture • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 34°
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Community (within shouting distance of this marker); The Neighborhood / Mysterious Departures (within shouting distance of this marker); The People Next Door (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to The Castle (within shouting distance of this marker); Lifeline / Prehistoric Produce (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Macaw Pen Stone? (about 600 feet away); Pecan Lane Rural Historic Landscape (approx. 2.7 miles away); Chaves Historic Trail (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montezuma Castle National Monument.
Also see . . . Montezuma Castle National Monument. (Submitted on March 13, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
2. Construction Sequence Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
3. Construction Sequence & The Way Up Markers
Looking east toward visitor center
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
4. Construction Sequence Step 1 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
5. Construction Sequence Step 2 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
6. Construction Sequence Step 3 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
7. Construction Sequence Step 4 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
8. Construction Sequence Step 5 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
9. Construction Sequence Step 6 on Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
10. Crossview Image on The Way Up Marker
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., November 7, 2010
11. Montezuma Castle View from Markers
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 857 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on March 13, 2011, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
