A view from the ruin they call the Citidel. This is looking toward the plains that eventually drop down into the Painted Desert. The topography in this area is karst. 180 degrees from this location is a large sinkhole and in the distance beyond it, the highest peaks (cone-shaped volcanos) in Arizona give character to the horizon.
There were three different well-preserved structures along the edge of this 15-20 foot deep box canyon. There were several other structures in various conditions nearby as well.
This is the most distant structure visible in the previous photo.
Montezuma's Castle. Incorrectly named after the ancient Aztec ruler, but a very impressive structure built into a limestone cave. It is estimated that this was last inhabitated around year 1450. For a masonry structure to survive that long is astounding. There were additional ruins close to this location that archaelogists believe housed the rest of the estimated 200 people living in this area. Also not far from here is Montezuma's well, a sink hole that is being refreshed by 1.5 million gallons of water per day and has structures built into the side of it.
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