Montezuma's Quest

Submitted by Tiya Lallmamode on Sun, 03/27/2011
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Synopsis: 

Discover the wonders of Montezuma's Well.

Directions: 

Off of I17, exit at Exit 293. The exit is also known as the Cornville Road exit going west. For the out-of-towners, don't confuse this with the Montezuma Castle exit. Although the Well site is part of the Montezuma Castle National Monument, it is physically separate from the Castle, which is further south. To reach Montezuma's Well, drive east for about 4 miles on Beaver Creek Road. Stay on Beaver Creek Road as it goes past the Montezuma Lake turnoff. The entrance to the site is on the right.

Location

Montezuma's Well
527 S Main Street
Camp Verde, AZ, 86322
Quest Clues: 

1. To Start:

Welcome, Welcome start at the sign

Up we go, step after step, to the top of the well, so divine

One step, two step, three step, four

Smile we're commencing with our tour!

LIVE AND LEARN:Notice the signs around the trail as you ascend the steps to the top of the well. They indicate how Native American inhabitants of the area used the plants in their daily life.DID YOU SEE?: What is the name of Native American that inhabited Montezuma's Well? It rhymes with the Spanish word for water. (SINAGUA)

2. At the Apex:

Look around, are the mountains beginning to break?

You're reached the top for goodness sake!

Don't worry about how much time you had to take,

For you can now see the whole well, which looks like a lake!

LIVE AND LEARN:Montezuma's Well was formed by water that carved limestone tunnels collecting in an underground cavern that eventually collapsed to form the phenomenon you see below. Over one million gallons of warm water flow into the well everyday from a mysterious source, keeping the well in constant motion.

DID YOU SEE:What do the stones around the top of the well wall resemble? (BRICKS)

3. Fork in the Road:

Continue along the path, hugging the edge of the well

All of a sudden on the left, there are steps, you can hardly tell!

Down in to the cavern, every step with elation

The water level: that's our destination

LIVE AND LEARN:As you go down the steps, you'll notice on your left some more pueblos left by the Sinagua. You'll also notice that there is a thick film of algae resting on top of the water. Algae thrives in Montezuma's Well because of the steady stream of constantly warm water that is filtered through limestone or calcium carbonate. When the water reaches the surface, the calcium falls out of the solution and an abundance of carbon dioxide is dissolved in the liquid. Algae feeds off of sunlight and the rich supply of carbon dioxide, making Montezuma's Well one of the best places in the world for algae to breed and live.

DID YOU SEE: At the top of the well there was a sign indicating the temperature of the water that rushes into Montezuma's Well. What temperature is the water? (76 degrees)

4. Water Level: