It makes sense that after we saw Montezuma's Castle we would also need to see Montezuma's Well. It is what it sounds like. It is a naturally occuring, continously refreshed open pit well that stays at 76° year round. The Sinagua Indians found where the water could be taken from the bottom of the well and run through an irrigation ditch to their crops which included beans and cotton. The construction of the mile long, 3 foot deep canal was way ahead of its time. These Indians lived in three different kinds of homes around this well. There were cliff dwellings, homes on top of the cliff and pit dwellings which were houses built only half way into the ground. All of these houses were built to stay naturally warm in winter and cool in summer. All of the native plants provided food, dyes, fiber for clothing and baskets and medicines. It is amazing to see how they carved out a way of life using all of the natural things around them. And they did it without cell phones!! Seriously, it is really an amazing sight and the well is beautiful. The trail around it was fun to walk. But before we made our way back to the parking lot, it started raining with grauple mixed in it. It was a cold rain, but the temperature actually rose 13° while it was falling. No, I cannot explain that. As soon as it quit, the temperature dropped again and we were ready to leave. The sun is out now and it's another nice day. We are so glad that Arizona has gone to such great pains to save all of this history so that we can see it and enjoy it.
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