Although the history of Montezuma Castle is pretty well documented, considering that nobody wrote down much of anything when it was a hot spot of ancestral civilization, there’s this one thing that sticks out as a case of mistaken identity. Or make that, mistaken transplantation.
Montezuma, the great Aztec leader, had no association whatsoever with the ruins that bear his name near Camp Verde. In fact, he was never in Arizona. What happened all those years ago was that early White settlers mistakenly figured that the structure had been built by Aztec refugees who fled Mexico during the Spanish conquest. But scholars have since determined that neither Montezuma or any of his followers made it this far north.
Despite that, the misnomer remains, with some slight bureaucratic adjustments. Now it’s properly known as Montezuma Castle National Monument. The structure is well-preserved because it is situated in a cliff recess about 100 feet above the surrounding valley. Visitors can look but not touch because the ladders that once allowed entry have long since deteriorated. Those who want to go take a peek can get there by taking Exit 289 off I-17 at Camp Verde.
Related Posts:
When Arizona became a territory in 1863 the new territorial delegation was much impressed with the work of noted anthropologist William Hickling Prescott who had documented the downfall of Montezuma and the Aztecs at the hands of Hernan Cortez. When they got to Central Arizona they found many ruins of a lost civilization which they deemed to be of a “Montezuma Race.” Therefor they named the new Territorial Capitol established in safe proximity to Fort Whipple “Prescott” in honor of the author, the main streets Montezuma and Cortez, and the cross streets Gurley and Goodwin in honor of the first governors.