Description

The cave dwellings at Montezuma's Well extend under the rim and are separated and faced with front rock walls. They enjoy the cooler environment of thick trees and evaporating water. They are located next to the Swallet, the point at which water flows out of the well. The water of the well is not potable due to high levels of CO2 and arsenic so drinking water must have been brought in from the stream running on the outside of the well. The roof and walls remain blackened with the soot of cooking fires from 800 years ago. As with other prehistoric structures in the Southwest, these dwellings would have been abandoned in the 1400's. The cause is still unknown.

The well empties into Beaver Creek, a trickle during drought years and a torrent during wet years. These unpredictable weather conditions may have contributed to the appearance and disappearance of two distinct desert cultures, the Hohokam and the Sinagua. Both irrigated their crops with the well's waters. Oddly, Sinagua is a Spanish word that means "without water." 

Native peoples started living in the region about 2000 years ago. The Verde River and Beaver Creek -- two principle waterways in the Verde Valley -- ebb and flow as the seasons change. So it was with native peoples. They arrived, lived and cultivated, then after several hundred years seemingly vanished overnight.