|
Archeologists consider
the Verde Valley as a place where at least 4 prehistoric cultures
intermingled. Montezuma Castle National Monument preserves the remains of
at least two of the cultures that once prospered here.
The first permanent
settlers in the valley were the Hohokam. They were farmers arrived
and arrived in the area around 600 AD. They lived in one-room houses
made of poles, sticks and mud. They irrigated their crops of corn, beans
and squash from crevices in limestone rocks which carried water from
nearby Beaver Creek and Montezuma Well. A semi-subterranean dwelling near
Montezuma Well is the only Hohokam house on display in the National Park
Service system. |
