Mississippian Period Archaeological Sites

Aztalan is a Mississippian site in Wisconsin, some 500 kilometers north of Cahokia, but it has some of the clearest evidence for connections to Cahokia yet identified. Although hinted at for over a century and a half by the similar pottery styles and the construction of the largest mound to that of Cahokia, a recent stable isotope analysis of human remains at Aztalan indicates that some of the people buried there were actually born at or near Cahokia.

Cahokia is by far the largest and most populous of the Mississippian communities. It is located in central western Illinois, just east and on the opposite side of the Mississippi river from St. Louis Missouri. At the height of its power, at least 20,000 people resided at Cahokia, and connected settlements stretched as far north as Wisconsin. Cahokia's largest platform mound, called Monk's Mound, stood and still stands an awesome 30 meters (100 feet) tall.

Etowah is name of a mound center with several large rammed earth mounds, located on the Etowah River in northwestern Georgia. Six major platform mounds lie within its palisaded walls, all built about AD 950 and abandoned by about 1600. The site includes an area of approximately 21 hectares (54 acres). The name Etowah is from the Cherokee language, sometimes spelled Itawa or Italwa. It is also possible that the name may be a corruption of the English name for the site: "High Tower" referring to the stunning height of Mound A.

Kincaid is a large mid-south Mississippian mound complex covering at least 75 hectares (185 acres). Kincaid is the largest mound center in the Ohio valley, located in deep southern Illinois on the north bank of Avery Lake in the Black Bottom of the confluence of the Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. A total of 27 mounds have been identified at Kincaid, several of which are low earthen platform mounds, within a palisaded habitation area.

The King Site is a palisaded Native American Mississippian village located in the floodplain of the Coosa River in northwest Georgia, not far from the modern day town of Rome and in the fertile bottomland of the Foster Bend meander loop. The main occupation of the King Site likely represents Piachi, a Mississippian town associated with the polity of Tuscaluza, and, if that is correct, King was visited by the expedition team of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto at least three times.

The regional capital of Moundville is located on the Black Warrior River in the southeastern part of the American state of Alabama. Second only to Cahokia in size, Moundville includes a total ~30 earthen mounds, a central plaza, residential areas, thick middens, and cemeteries. The largest platform mound at Moundville is 17 meters (56 feet) high; and during its occupation, the palisade wall protected an area of over 80 hectares (200 acres).

Serpent Mound (sometimes called Alligator Mound) is a single effigy mound, built by the Mississippian Fort Ancient culture between AD 1170 and 1270. Effigy mounds dated to the Mississippian period are not common in Ohio, in fact the most effigy mounds for the period are far to the west in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Researchers believe it may be a representation of the iconic Underwater Panther of many historic and prehistoric Native American groups.

Spiro Mounds is located on the very far western edge of the Mississippian culture, yet it has strong ties to Cahokia and points all over the Mississippian world. A vast array of trade goods were brought to Spiro, and buried with the over 700 people in the cemetery. Copper plates sourced in the Great Lakes, busycon shell cups from the Gulf Coast, even an obsidian scraper made of Pachuca green glass from central Mexico, all of these things made their way to Spiro.