History
The Montezuma Castle, originally known as the Montezuma Hotel, was
designed by noted Chicago architects John Root and Daniel Burnham
for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, which had built a
spur from nearby Las Vegas, NM to Montezuma in 1882. For a decade,
the resort was a major attraction and visitors included Rutherford
B. Hayes, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman and Theodore
Roosevelt before the Montezuma closed as a hotel in 1903.
The Castle was later owned by the Baptist Church and served as
the site of its Montezuma College and then by the Catholic Church
which ran a seminary for Mexican priests from 1937-1972. Once the
Catholic Church closed the seminary, the Castle was left empty and
became easy prey for a decade of vandalism. In 1981, the Armand
Hammer Foundation bought the property in order to found the United
States campus of the United World Colleges.
The Castle remained an empty but picturesque backdrop to the UWC-USA
campus until 1997 when it garnered national attention. First, the
National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the 
building as one of America's most endangered historic places. In
1998, the White House Millennium Council named it one of “America’s
Treasures”, the first property west of the Mississippi to receive
that honor.
In 1998, the UWC-USA launched its first capital campaign, Save
the Castle-Serve the World, raising funds for scholarship endowments,
program development, campus improvements and the restoration of
the Montezuma Castle.
The Montezuma Castle Today
In 2000-2001, the building underwent a $10.5 million renovation,
transforming it into an international center with student and faculty
housing, dining facilities, offices, a campus store and student
social center. The Castle also holds the Bartos Institute for the
Constructive Engagement of Conflict.
While many of the building’s magnificent interior and exterior
details were restored, modern treasures were added, including two
eight-foot glass sculptures designed specifically for the Castle’s
enormous dining room by artist Dale Chihuly.
Tours of the Montezuma
Castle
The United World College is pleased to provide free, student-led
tours of the Montezuma Castle. While the tour is free, donations
to the college are certainly appreciated.
Tours begin promptly at 1pm on selected Saturdays and last approximately
one hour. They begin in front of the Old Stone Hotel on the lower
campus.
Tours for Fall 2008 will take place on the following Saturdays:
September 20
October 4
October 18
October 25
November 1
November 15
November 22
We regret that the Nov. 22 tour must be cancelled due to work being done in the Montezuma Castle.
December 6
Please note that because the Castle serves as a residence for over
50 people and is used daily for classes, meetings and other college
functions, it is not open to the public. All visitors
must be accompanied by a College guide.
Reservations are not necessary for the tours. In unusual circumstances,
castle tours may be cancelled with little notice. On weekdays, information
on tours may be obtained at (505) 454-4221. On Saturdays, UWC's
Security division will have the most current information about the
specific tour scheduled for that day; please call (505) 454-4288
to contact them. |
If you would like to visit the castle, see