Aztalan
National Register of Historic Places
The other type of mounds in Aztalan are Platform mounds - the structures typical of Mississippian culture (above). These were used for
burial and other ceremonial purposes. Aztalan mounds and other parts of the site were partially destroyed by European settlers. What you
see today - platform mounds, steps leading to the top of them, stockades around them - was painstakingly restored in the last few decades.
There is an evidence that before the arrival of Mississippian people the same site was used by the Woodland Paleo-Indians. The Aztalan
site was surrounded by groups of different mounds. Most of them were obliterated by farming, so it's not clear which mounds were
associated with Mississippians and which ones with Woodland people. Greenwood Mound Group was located immediately to the west
of Aztalan. Drumlin Mound was located further west on top of dominating hill. Another similar mound and an effigy mound were located
north of the village. And to the east, right across Crawfish River, there was an effigy mound and some conical mounds. I couldn't find more information, but it seems that some of them survived to this day, since the east bank of the river is protected as a part of the Aztalan
State park. The only well known mound definitely surviving to this day is Princess Mound (see below).
Aztalan doesn't belong to a Woodland culture covered elsewhere on this site. Instead, it's a northernmost site of so-called
Mississippian culture, artifacts of which are more common in central and southern United States, with Cahokia, IL, being the
biggest prehistoric city known from that civilization.
Aztalan does have mounds, but they're different from the Woodland type. Northwestern corner contains several large conical mounds
called Marker mounds (above). Upon excavation of some of them they were found to contain large post set into a pit in the center of
each mound. These posts would have been visible for miles and served unknown ceremonial or other purpose. There used to be over
40 such mounds, but only handful remains today.
There is an open-air museum describing the history of Aztalan and its restoration, located between the two platform mounds
(above). There are also tablets in the field dealing with different aspects of life and death of the Aztalan's inhabitants (below).
Aztalan Platform Mound
Aztalan Mounds Before Reconstruction
Aztalan State Park
Conical Mounds at Aztalan
Conical Mounds at Aztalan (in the background)
