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APARTMENT HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS THE SINAGUAN CASTLE ON BEAVER CREEK

My two-year-old son, Brannick, stood in the worn trough of a stone metate, oblivious to the history under his sandals. Centuries ago the Sinagua people used this hollowed out black stone to grind corn into flour. Now the metate stands unused, much like the remains of Montezuma Castle, which tower over Brannick's head. But for Brannick, the historical significance of the ancient multistory dwelling and its artifacts pales in contrast to the antics of several rock squirrels, convinced that a low-hanging creosote limb doubles as a trapeze. Several other castle visitors noticed the performance and soon the clowning squirrels became the focus of cameras and the object of pointing index fingers. The ancient residents of this area, for the moment, were upstaged by the current ones.

The ruins of Montezuma Castle lie just off Interstate 17 about 90 miles north of Phoenix. The Sinagua (Spanish for “without water”) built the five-story, 20-room structure in the 1100s but abandoned it in the early 1400s. Early pioneers, mistakenly accrediting the empty “castle” to Aztec builders, gave it the name Montezuma. The misnomer stuck, and the 1906 Antiquities Act made Montezuma Castle one of the first national monuments.

Our visit to the castle began in the cool modern visitors center which stands adjacent to the ruins, welcoming more than 2,000 visitors a day. In addition to providing respite from the heat, the center offered us displays of Indian artifacts, a chronicle of the early discovery and preservation of the ruins, and information on desert wildlife. Through plate-glass windows, we examined yucca fibers woven into fabric, raw cotton, bone needles, and small cylinders of red hematite, which the Sinagua crushed into paint powders.

The last display case housed an assortment of the more impressive desert fauna:rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and Gila monsters.This exhibit fascinated the two small boysin our group, and we spent several minutesacknowledging chubby fingers pointing atthe 'nakes and 'piders.

A wide path led us from the visitors center through shady sycamores and the electric buzz of cicadas toward the ruins.Benches along the path offered the perfectspot to view the massive structure. Soaring100 feet above the valley floor, the emptydwelling fills a huge recess in the cliff wall.Long pole ladders once reached from thebase of the cliff to the small windows anddoorways high above. Looking at the castle,we theorized that this precarious mode ofentry provided protection from enemies butmust have proved a challenge for both theyoungest and oldest tenants of the ancientapartment building.

Our binoculars revealed that the ruinhas not been totally abandoned. Two ra-vens occupied a large nest that rested on arocky outcropping near the castle. Half adozen spherical mud nests of cliffside swal-lows clung to the walls and roof of the de-pression that holds the castle, itself. Theswallows flitted in and out of our field ofvision, sailing around the castle in a deli-cate aerial display.

WHEN YOU GO

(LEFT) This five-story dwelling built bythe Sinagua Indians centuries ago wasmistakenly dubbed Montezuma Castle.RICHARD MAACK A few yards farther along the path stooda neighbor: Castle A. This lesser-knownruin once loomed much larger than Monte-zuma Castle. However, the structure isbadly deteriorated, and little remains excepta few low walls. It was near the base of onesuch wall that my son found the blackmetate, and from this vantage point calledour attention to the playful squirrels.

Once the squirrel show ended, we moved down the path to a large 3-D diagram depicting how the castles may havelooked while occupied. An audio presentation told us how smaller rooms functionedas individual family living quarters whilethe larger spaces served the entire community. We also learned how nearby BeaverCreek created fertile ground in which theSinagua grew cotton and vegetable crops.Flooding affected the prosperity and location of the crops on the valley floor but didnot threaten the Sinagua's high-rise house.

No one knows for sure why the Sinagualeft the two castles. Possible explanationsfor the exodus include farmland exhaustion, overcrowding, and conflict betweenfamilies or neighboring tribes. The Hopis ofnorthern Arizona have a legend that a people came from the south and joined them.Perhaps these wanderers were migratingSinagua.

Our own wanderings ended near theruins in a grassy picnic area shaded bylarge Arizona sycamores and serenadedby Beaver Creek. A brilliant yellow oriolewelcomed us from a nearby mesquite.After lunch our two boys tossed pebblesinto the creek, an urge so instinctive tosmall children that the splashes must echothose made by Sinagua youngsters centuries ago.

To visit Montezuma Castle National Monument, travel north 90 miles from Phoenix, or 50 miles south from Flagstaff, on Interstate 17. Take Exit No. 289 and follow the signs to the monument's visitors center. The monument opens at 8 A.M. daily; closing times vary seasonally. Admission is $2, age 17 and over; free, 16 and under. The visitors center offers water and rest rooms and a picnic area is available, however, travelers will need to drive five miles south to Camp Verde for restaurant facilities. Montezuma Castle National Monument and the adjoining picnic area are fully wheelchair-accessible. For additional information, call (520) 567-3322.