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Illustrations by: R. Burke I.A. Lapham L. Goldstein E. Pauson D. Barreis S. A. Barrett C. Rowe

The Department of Natural Resources gratefully acknowledges the help of Lynne Goldstein, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Joan Freeman, State Historical Society of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 1995 4

Aztalan State Park opened to the The people who lived in Aztalan practices are just a few of the public in 1952. The park pre- village had a highly organized and similarities that exist between serves one of the most important fairly complex way of life. Before Aztalan and Cahokia. But there archaeological sites in Wisconsin. historic plowing claimed its toll, are differences also. Although clas- Aztalan was designated a National evidence of several stockade walls, sic Middle Mississippian features Landmark in 1964 and listed in large platform mounds, ancient exist, many artifacts belonging to the National Register of Historic farm elds and numerous mound the local people called Woodland by Places in 1966. and pit features dotted the 172 archaeologists are also present in In 1836’ Wisconsin vast acres which now t':0IIlpI'1S8 the large numbers. There appears to for . park. Archaeological excavations, be a blend of the two cultures . . . . unexplored territory to the settler . . , . with . beginning in 1919, have helped to everyday life and activities, from the eastern states. Imagine . . . Missis-. . . reconstruct some of these features a more traditional Middle the surprise and wonder of a young , . . . . . named Timoth Johnson and also piece together the social, sippian view taken in respect to when he rst fe ruins of political and economic life ofAzta- village planning and religious life. ancient Aztalan. For the next 150 lam Aztalan was a ourishing com- years, these ruins were investigat- Aztalan is one of the northern- munity from AD 900 to AD 1200, at ed by amateurs and professionals most outposts of what archaeolo- which time all the inhabitants left. alike in a quest to uncover the lives gists call the Middle Mississippian The reason for this abandonment of the people who lived here so Tradition. This tradition is most is as much a mystery today as it many hundreds of years ago. notable in west-central Illinois at was when Timothy Johnson rst a site called Cahokia, located near stood in awe in 1836. St. Louis. Mound and stockade construction, house constniction, pottery decoration and agricultural

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This walking tour will take you Please remember that the site is lagers are buried here, the site is through the most populated p0r- protected by state and federal law. also considered sacred by modern tion of the ancient village. The tour Digging and artifact collecting are Indian tribes. Please treat the area begins by the kiosk just north of prohibited. Since many ancient vil- with respect. the lower parking lot.

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location relative to the mounds, it is possible ' ' - » l‘ U t f"‘* ,,-_&_V J if " / ‘__-_ if that the knoll served a function within the vil- ‘p " 3 $6’ ' 5' *' _.. 4. If!) If ** .‘ 1» J "" I; ' lage plan; it may have been used as the fourth Q’; ii platform. ‘V I av?» _ ’*K. I .

1» __*' . z“ . / <_ K From this point, almost all the site can be seen. To a ‘L ‘£2 Y /rm the north, two platform mounds were once present. Q, < f I " ‘6 lg North of the stockade wall, agricultural elds sup vim if /. plied a staple of corn to the villagers. To the east is the r

Crawsh River. Positioned at key points along this por- 55; I Z‘ >3 tion of the river are rock barriers called sh weirs. One

1‘ sh weir is still visible when the water is low. To the i . ‘

south is another portion of the stockade. Houses once ’f,—=*‘ ~—f1f"l) ' ,5!) stood where the lower parking lot is now. To the west is the largest mound at the site and the longest wall of the stockade. The tour will stop at the major features within the stockade. Stop two is directly north of this ; ,, '7 .43, W » knoll. I ,. “V

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A concentration of houses were uncovered in Each house was probably home to a single fam- this area. All the houses were either circular ily-—one or two adults, their children and possibly a few or rectangular in shape. Although no rows elders. of houses were found, the dense grouping of structures suggests some planning. House

construction began by setting wall posts. Wall posts 3

were either driven into individual holes or placed with " 1 »"’,.I:_ 17*...’ -~» *1 /.. '1»: . ‘ii: ck-‘:'"‘=‘ ‘l .31 in a trench dug to the size and shape of the house. The ..,;g;jf 5} 1; 1. R W; \ , v-\-.1 . covered a made of grasses I. 1, ‘lit’ ll Kl "~55 I Y-.1 ‘H1 K U were with V w/ walls then plaster ' .~ / ‘ W. (L mwlx ~'W,.:1 . W.. K .1 "" and clay, called wattle and daub. When a house burned, "~ > ‘ '~ ;<-41¢‘ 'i“»»‘~i .~.<-—-~/‘X this mixture formed a distinctive hard red substance referredt0 as Aztalan b11c‘ k. Roofs were made of bark or H, <' M \‘V\H . thatch People lived 1n these houses all year round and \3\1|;|;¥\ \ $ {J :4 .\.-- .» .f’ ~ ‘. -ii-Ir . . many of the houses had entrances facing south, away .,4 l .

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from the harsh winter winds. \_ -_ l 1 \ C jaxnl, Inside the houses were pole frame beds, probably covered with tamarack boughs, deer skins and furs.‘ .: ‘D. Q.' Fireplaces were located in the center of the house with ..,.. rm -. a hole in the roof to release the smoke. Food such as . we ', . ‘ " O/»¢ i o - corn, nuts and seeds were stored in woven bags and 0% 0 . v .' g ‘ I placed in large pits inside the house. Meat and other I O; - =1 perishables were probably stored outside the house W i where much of the cooking was done.

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The location ofAztalan village was and swan as well as turtle and tery making. Some raw materials chosen for its rich natural envi- mussel remains show the ability of were traded for more exotic goods ronment, containing a wide variety these people to use all that the en- such as copper from Lake Superior, of food and other resources within vironment had to offer them. Some sea shells from the Gulf coast and a short walk in any direction. The meat, sh and plant foods were stone from other Midwest sources. people grew corn but also gathered processed and stored for later use. wild foods such as hickory nuts, Building materials and acorns and berries. The rimar . . P y materials for tools were also avail- meat source was deer’ hovkvfver’ able locally or through trade in elk’ raccoon’ beaver’ mus a.t’ and the Aztalan area. Trees along the ’ fox were also eaten. These villagers . . ~; river supplied posts for houses, ar- ate a large quantity of sh Catsh’ rows hafts and bows, rewood and \ il'\\_ bass, suck- ,, J \f\ wooden bowls and spoons. Boughs \ ‘\ ers, buffalo | \ . \ and grasses were used for thatch . sh, pike, . . 1 /V ‘ l ' 1 - and bedding. Shell was used for f drum and 5 jewelry, beads, spoons and possible / »/, gar are all , i , (I W /y ,i , “ / 1 . \ ' ,-' -- \\ dgging tools; bone for awls, ar i 7

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You are standing on the A large open-walled structure actly what type of activity was con- spot where a large at- (40 feet by 90 feet) had been placed ducted here. Whatever its function, topped mound once stood. on the top of this mound. Inside it is certain that the mound and This mound was similar the structure were repits lined its structure are linked—a similar to the two reconstructed platform with white sand. When a re was structure was found in an earlier mounds near the stockade. These extinguished, the pit was relined building stage of the mound. three mounds and the gravel knoll with white sand and used again. formed a rectangle within which No debris was found on the oor of most of the activity of the site was the structure so it is unknown ex- concentrated.

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This mound was recon- When the structure a;Jl1d|EEl.Il'l_?}i'

structed in 1954. It was was completed and the Cggpe WI originally built in three individuals placed inside, stages. During the second the building was burned. 0 99 0 Q 0 stage, a special structure (12 feet The nal building stage 9 0 by 5 feet) was placed on the west of the mound was con-

side of the mound, oriented in a structed over the burned Plain she" G! northeast-southwest direction. An structure. Burial treat- Tempewd _ _ Globular Pot @ opening, probably a doorway was inents of this type have - placed in the southwest corner. been found in other sites O The wall posts and {I w \ roof were associated with the Middle v,‘ '\ *1 covered with a mixture of clay, Mississippian tradition. willow branches and grasses. The oor of the structure was covered with a large mat, possibly woven of cattails. Ten individuals were placed side by side on the mat with their heads facing the opening. The bones of an additional individual O ,_J\,, S_mall b dl d t th ‘th , P f a ®?§*a§\ -ii? l : i \,§ i /.3‘ String Bag Q9 §< j 3:;i:*:,"‘a%.. OOQQ ’. ‘(D \ O Q Q Q 0 Scale 1"=2‘

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The stockade wall is 1850, he described the remains of The entrance to the stockade certainly one of the most the outer stockade as being “631 is very clever. Although the whole prominent features of the feet long at the north end, 1,149 wall looks solid, there is an en- site. It enclosed the north, feet long on the west side and 700 trance at the southwest mound, west and south sides of the site. feet on the south side; making a screened from view in most direc- The stockade portions you see here total length of wall of 2,750 feet.” tions. were reconstructed in 1968. A set Even after 500 years, the stockade There are various theories about of smaller stockades or fences ap- was still an impressive structure . . . . h f t f th t k . It parently enclosed the house area of 1n 1850. Plowing since then has t e. lmc .mn 0 .e S Dc ade S position in the middle of a long the site at one time. These stock- obliterated all the surface remains incline has laced doubts in

ades have not been reconstructed of the stockade. .p . and we are not certain scholars minds as to its use as a kinds of if both stockades existed the At regu1 ar interva' ls along the defensive' structure . Butpeople , stockade walls are square enclo- same time. built stockades for a variety of pur- sures resembling watchtowers. poses: to keep people out, to keep To build the stockade, posts Nineteenth century investigations people in or to control the number were set in the ground. Post holes found burials in one of these enclo- and type of people who go in and were excavated with digging sticks sures which at that time appeared out. most likely in the spring when the as circular mounds attached to the The 1 at Azt 1 t H 1 peop e a an ac ua y ground was sift WE Iv braitiches stockade built two stockades. The posts

were woven rou e os s . g P in the rst one and then the whole stockade was rotted and were replaced by the second stockade ' 'h d 'h . built. I. A. Lapham mapped the site in

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Stockade construction of wattle and daub Drawing by R. Burke, 1964

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‘This mound is the largest Inside the structure were stor- The last stop on the tour is the on the site, actually built age pits containing corn. While mound area located by the upper on top of a natural ter- it is true that all the platform parking lot. You may leave the race. It was reconstructed mounds had structures built on top path and walk up to the mounds or in 1951. Like the northwest of them, there have been several visit this stop on your way out of mound, this one was originally theories for the function of this the park. built in three stages. A series of particular structure. It may have steps led to the top. There a struc- served as 1) the storage facility for ture was built encompassing the food to be distributed to the village; whole top of the mound. Instead of 2) the storage facility for food for grass, like you see now, the mound top village ofcials; 3) a structure was covered by a clay cap, certainly for ceremonies and rituals; or 4) a adding to the dramatic appearance house for top ofcials. Excavations of the mound. revealed that a similar structure stood on top of each of the three building stages of this mound.

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When I. A. Lapham which was quite an unexpected dis- above the ground surface. These mapped the site in covery. Instead, they found a large posts would have been visible for 1850, there were over 40 post set into a pit in the center of miles in any direction. The mounds mounds in this area. All each mound. The post was sur- have been named marker mounds but the largest mounds have been rounded by gravel and soil and the because they marked the site for plowed down. Only a fraction of pit capped with a mixture of clay travelers in the vicinity. the original number can be located and gravel to steady the post in its These Osts have been used today. foundation. When all the mounds P . y b _1t Id h to announce village events, relay VVhen the large mounds were rgereof En’ yo‘: Wm: aboitelgetizf messages, or calculate astronomi- excavated by archaeologists in W pos S Se cal phenomena. the 192O’s, they found no burials,

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Q W The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunity in its employment, programs, set» P||V'rE|J an 7'? vices, and functions under an Airmative Action Plan. Ifyou have any questions, please write to Equal Opportunity gggfkiv ‘ Washington, D.C. 20240. 5 ! Oice, Department of Interior, '7.-.W.§.~"'i my O; ,,m,m,,E$Qum5 This publication is available in alternative format (large print, Braille, audio tape, etc) upon request. Please call JG Linda Net/Zer at (608) 266-0866 for more information. PUB-PH-689 2004

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