Montezuma's Castle / Las Vegas New Mexico

Old Montezumas Castle and Hotel

Western Trips takes a fun and scenic road trip to Las Vegas New Mexico and Montezumas Castle. The largest and one of the most historic structures in Las Vegas New Mexico is the old Montezumas Castle, just a few miles north of the plaza area. The building is also referred to as the Montezuma Hotel. The site where this magnificent hotel was built in itself comes with a lot of history. In the late 1800's when people thought of the Montezuma Castle they thought of the hot springs available there for guests. In fact, in the mid 1800's the site was originally named Hot Springs and the hot mineral water found there in abundance coming up from underground was considered quite beneficial for health. Travelers near and far flocked to the Hot Springs when possible.

Long before the Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans gravitated to the area, the mineral springs were well known among the Native Indian population. In the excellent book Gateway To Glorieta: A History of Las Vegas New Mexico, by author Lynn Irwin Perrigo, PhD, describes the many quite diverse uses of the site called Hot Springs and the many groups that occupied Montezuma's Castle. Montezuma's Castle in many ways mirrored the growth and subsequent ups and downs of the scenic area around Las Vegas New Mexico.

Fred Harvey Dining Room in the Castle

Two Anglo's took over the site of the hot springs in the 1840's as a land grant from the Mexican authorities. They built a small bath house and charged a fee for it's use. This was shortly before the U.S. Army would seize control of the territory as a result of the Mexican American War. By 1956 the property was seized because of debts owed and the US Army had control of the property until 1864 when another new owner took over. The property would change hands often up until the railroad came to Las Vegas. When that occurred a lot changed. A Boston investor purchased the site of Hot Springs in 1879 with the AT & SF being his controlling partner. By 1880 both a new bath house and a four story hotel was constructed. What happened after 1880 can best be described as a series of fires followed by a series of rebuildings.

Just one year after it's completion, the new bath house burned down. A new bath house was constructed along with the large hotel mentioned above. The hotel had some 240 guest rooms. This hotel burned down in 1884 due to a naptha gas fire. It burned to the ground in under one hour. After this second fire, a new hotel was built one year later up on the hill overlooking the river and the small power plant. If these rebuildings were not enough, another fire burned out the top of the new hotel but firemen were able to save the first two floors. The hotel was repaired but now had been reduced to three floors but offered 400 guest rooms and 90,000 square feet. In the meantime, the Montezuma Hotel contracted with Fred Harvey to manage both the hotel and it's dining service.

Massive porch alongside Montezuma Hotel building

Certainly, with Fred Harvey's partnership with the AT & SF Railroad, The Queen Anne styled Montezumas Castle no doubt offered some of the freshest food in the area.The Queen Anne style of architecture and furnishings was popular in the United States during the latter decades of the 1800's,

The most prosperous years for Montezumas Castle would have been from about 1884 to 1900 with the exception of a few years in the 1890's due to the Great Financial Panic of 1893. When the Montezuma originally opened in 1880, there were many visitors to the area that came for health reasons. Doctors suggested to victims of consumption that a dryer climate, like that found in New Mexico and all over the southwest, would be advantageous to their health. These benefits were promoted heavily in railroad brochures. Many people who could afford the rates traveled by railroad to Las Vegas New Mexico and Montezumas Castle. By about 1900, there were several other resorts available to the west of Las Vegas, therefore the Montezuma lost some business. As an example, the AT & SF along with Fred Harvey opened the El Tovar about 1905 at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In addition to this, the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad along with Fred Harvey opened the large La Castaneda resort and dining room adjacent to the Las Vegas train station. The empty historic La Castaneda still stands at this site today where passengers traveling on Amtrak's Southwest Chief can get a glimpse of as they past through Las Vegas.

Hot mineral baths at Montezuma Castle site

During the 1900's, Montezumas Castle went through several new ownerships and had several different uses other than that of a hotel. The Montezuma Hotel closed down in 1903. After that it was vacant for long periods. The chain of ownership during the 1900's included the YMCA, the Southern Baptist Church who then sold it to the Catholic Church which used the property until 1972. After being vacant for ten years, Montezumas Castle was bought by Armand Hammer for use as a United World College. Armand Hammer restored the old Montezuma Hotel building and it's a very impressive and beautiful structure as you can see from the photos in this article. The United World College operates at this site to the present day. Guided tours are available on the weekends.

You will find the following two related articles interesting. On our Trips Into History site we've published the Historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas New Mexico and on our Western Trips site we have the Miramont Castle in  Manitou Springs Colorado.

You may also enjoy our Western Trips article on the Rock & Roll Hits Recorded in Clovis NM.

Still today, people travel to the site where natural hot springs are available to the public at no fee. These are outdoor springs with walkways and are very accessible.The old Montezuma Hotel and Castle which is now a United World College is locate six miles northwest of the Las Vagas plaza on State Route 65 which can be accessed from Interstate 25. Las Vegas New Mexico is about 60 miles east of Santa Fe on Interstate 25.

(Photos are from author's private collection)