After saying my morning prayer of thanks to Great Spirit, I walk over and gaze out from my castle in the air and I see lands of beauty. Far below me, the Black Hawk circles effortlessly above Beaver Creek, looking for aquatic animals while I know his mate waits in a nearby tree. The call of the beautiful Gambel Quail, encouraging his mate and young ones to hurry to their destination, echos through the canyon and drifts up to me.

A little bird perches on the ledge just outside my window and looks up at me expectantly. I slowly scatter some crumbs I saved from my morning bread, along the ledge, so as not to frighten her and say a prayer to protect little sister bird. She cautiously hopped forward a little at a time, cocking her head, watching to make sure I would not harm her, then began pecking at the crumbs. After a few quick tastes she flies away. I leave my window, knowing she will come back as soon as she sees I am no longer there.

I cross the room, climb a ladder to an upper level and walk over to a south facing window to see the black hills stretching out far to the distant mountains. I would have to gather some juniper berries today, I thought, thinking of Grandmother's headaches. The tea we make from the leaves will help her greatly so I will get leaves also. I retrieved my pouch from the corner where my blankets lay crumbled after my night's rest. I shake them out, fold them and place them in the corner near my baskets then check my pouch to make sure I had my medicines, cutting tools and totems in there in case I needed them. I never went anywhere without my pouch. I take the basket which I made just for gathering berries and herbs and climb back down the ladder, stopping long enough to look over at the window where I fed the bird. She was happily devouring the crumbs. I decided I should also gather some yucca, sand verbena, willow bark and roots so went back up to get a second basket, one with straps so I could carry it on my back. If I was going to make the climb down to the canyon floor and back up again, I had better make it worth it.

I stop by Grandmother's room to see how she is doing. Already at this early morning time she is sitting at her window, making another basket. She looks up at me and smiles. My mother brings her some bread, berries, dried meat and tea for her morning meal then turns to me. Such a beautiful woman is my mother, I thought. I wished I would grow that beautiful. Mother hugs me and told me some of the herbs she needed, which I added to my thoughts. I hug Grandmother and leave these two beloved women to their chores.

I felt so safe and at peace in our home and greeted many relatives and friends along my way to the cliffs. So many rooms had been added to our dwelling that I had finally lost count. Our tribe was growing so fast. Father would know how many there were, for he helped build each one and taught the younger men how to do it. I looked up at the huge logs the men carried in to support the ceilings and shuddered. How they could do this was amazing to me. I felt renewed respect and pride for Father, and for Grandfather who had passed down the craft to his only son. I smiled with pleasure and felt very happy. Today would be a good day! Great Spirit has blessed us. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is easy to get lost in the distant past when you gaze up at Montezuma Castle and to imagine yourself living way up there in the air above the beautiful landscape of Camp Verde in the Arizona desert. The ruins were built around 1400 and contain separate rooms or dwellings much like a modern day apartment house does. There is little known about the Sinagua people who built the castle. They developed customs borrowed from other tribes like the Hohokam and Anasazi. They made simple pottery, used mainly for cooking and storage and became involved in the trading practices from Mexico, the Gulf of California and the Hopi mesas to the north. They made beautiful baskets which they traded to other villages for necessities. It is believed that their building expertise was learned from the Anasazi. They seemed to be at the center of the trade system.

Why the Sinaguas disappeared from this area is as great a mystery as the lost history of the Anasazi. Speculations abound, most of which could be a combination of many things: drought, enemy marauders, disease or any number of things. Their culture, customs and spiritual beliefs can be found in the modern Hopi tribe so it is possible they migrated north and joined other tribes. The Sinagua were hunters and gatherers which helped to supplement their diet along with the farming they did. They irrigated their plots by building small dams and irrigation ditches.

It is fascinating to imagine how they must have lived up so high and why they first decided to carve out a living there. As with any culture, circumstances, outside influences, new knowledge and creativity bring about changes and when the Sinagua left their dwellings they left behind a great message for us of what their life was like. Dreaming is a wonderful escape from everyday stress and trials and to dream you lived in a Castle in the air is such a lovely way to relax.