Montezuma Castle

Photograph, cyanotype process, 2019, 7"x11" (11"x14" overall).

A National Monument and cliff dwelling in Arizona, built by Sinagua people over 900 years ago and abandoned by 1500, well prior to the arrival of the Spanish (it has nothing to do with Montezuma). The cliff dwelling looks eastward over a valley that surely had a stream in it in the past, and is filled with trees. Climbing up as high as possible, I thought how delightful it would be to get up of a winter morning and come out of the cold adobe rooms into the morning sunshine.

The Wikipedia article on the Sinagua proposes that Sinagua women built this structure, though the National Park Service doesn’t mention that. Their descendants likely include the Hopi, as there are similarities in building and pottery styles.