Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle is one of a number of well-preserved ancient dwellings in north central Arizona.  An imposing 20 room, 5-story structure built into a recess in a white limestone cliff about 70 feet above the ground, a multi-family “prehistoric high rise apartment complex." When first discovered the ruins were thought to be Aztec in origin, hence the name bestowed on them by early explorers, but they are now known to belong to the Sinagua Indian people who farmed the surrounding land between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, before abandoning the area.  

Since 1951, visitors have not been permitted to climb up to the ruins due to their unstable condition. The Visitor Center gives the history of the site and it's people including artifacts that were discovered.   Amazingly, the interior of the castle remains almost completely intact, including many of the original ceiling support beams even though they were installed more than 800 years ago. 

Chapel of the Holy Cross, a small church set within the rock mesas.

My Mom & Dad loved to take trips in the great southwest. Just outside of Sedona, AZ is the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Designed by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright, the Chapel appears to rise out of the surrounding red rocks. The towering cross and awesome panorama of buttes, valley and sky are a source of inspiration inviting rest and reflection

Built in the 1950s, the chapel’s front façade is comprised of windows and a cross that juts from a 1,000-foot high rock wall and rises 90 feet into the air. It’s easy to access on Chapel Road. The church is modest, which seems fitting for its special spot set in the rocks, and offers seemingly endless views of the area. 

Chapel of the Holy Cross belongs to the parish of St. John Vianney in Sedona and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. Visitors are invited to attend a brief evening prayer service on Monday evenings at 5pm.