Tuesday, November 10, 2009

MONTEZUMA CASTLE & TUZIGOOT NATIONAL MONUMENTS

Montezuma is one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, was built by a culture known as the Sinagua about 700 years ago.
(Click on photos to enlarge.)
This shot is just a close-up
This was another cliff dwelling there; however,
it is not as well-preserved as the high-rise.
The fall colors were beautiful

Tuzigoot is an ancient village or pueblo also built by the Sinagua. The pueblo consisted of 110 rooms, including second and third story structures. The first buildings were built around A.D. 1000.
If you're wondering why there are no roofs on any
of these structures (I was), it's because they were constructed of
wood. The wood roofs eventually rotted.

This was the inside
Not a bad view from the front door!
This was the visitor center. It was built in the 30's,
and matched the construction of the pueblos.
This is an interesting plant; a Red Amaranth.
The Hopi used it as a natural dye.