Montezuma's Well - Rimrock, AZ
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 34° 38.942 W 111° 45.180
12S E 430994 N 3834381
Montezuma Well is a large sinkhole that is fed by a natural spring. The native Sinagua people used the sides of the well for cliff dwellings and the water to irrigate their crops.
Waymark Code: WM8KWH
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2010
Views: 25
From
Arizona: A Guide to the State as part of Tour 2A (US Route 89A, now known as State Route 89A):
Left 2.1 m. on Beaver Creek Road to MONTEZUMA'S WELL (adm. free). The well, which is 470 feet in diameter and has been sounded to a depth of 55 feet before finding bottom, looks very much like a small volcanic crater. There is a flow of one million nine hundred thousand gallons from the well every twenty-four hours. This water supply was probably the essential factor in the settlement of the region; surrounding the rocky wall of the well are twelve cliff dwellings, all in a remarkable state of preservation. Leading from the well are remains of ditches and a prehistoric irrigation system constructed with no little engineering skill. A calcareous substance deposited by the water in these ditches had accumulated during their long usage till it formed a stone lining. Although it is estimated that both dwellings and ditches were built about 1200 or 1300 A.D., parts of the ditch linings are practically intact. It is believed that the well discovered by the army of Cortez, since it was shown on a deerskin map that belonged to the explorer.
The well is a limestone sink formed long ago by the collapse of an immense underground cavern. As the Guide mentioned, the springs that feed it flow continuously and the Southern Sinagua irrigated their crops with its waters. Between 1125 and 1400 A.D. about 150 to 200 Sinagua people lived here.
Technically there is an admission to the park that you need to pay at Montezuma Castle, and that is $5. A trail leads from the parking area to the rim of the well. From there you can go down into the well or continue along the rim down to the backside of the well where the irrigation ditch can be seen.