Montezuma Well Irrigation canal - Montezuma Castle National Monument - Rimrock, AZ - New World Ancient Evidence on Waymarking.com

Montezuma Well, a unit of Montezuma Castle National Monument, is the water source for the surrounding fields in the Verde Valley. The area was first occupied perhaps as early as the 400's AD. The well contains 15 million gallons of water and ten percent of that seeps through a crack on a daily basis. The water leaves the well at this Swallet or seep point and takes 7 minutes to pass through to the outside. The water is high in CO2 and arsenic and thus not potable. However, it is safe for irrigation and a canal was constructed at the outtake point of the Swallet. Water was moved down the side of the well mound, paralleling the intermittently flowing stream beside it. Fields downstream would have grown beans, corn and squash, still the staples of the indigenous peoples of the area. The water contains dissolved limestone. The limestone is deposited on the sides and bottom of the canal, continually sealing and waterproofing. The stream continues to flow today and is used to irrigate a grassy picnic ground in the monument and then moving south to the fields below.

Trailhead: N 34° 38.935 W 111° 45.254 Type: Ruins How did you find this "Ancient Evidence": Geocaching Terrain Rating:

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