Caddo Mounds State Historic Site

Summary

The script narrates the history of the Caddo people, who around 1200 years ago, established a thriving village near the Natchez River in East Texas. It flourished as a ceremonial center with trade, agriculture, and crafts, developing a complex social structure. Despite the decline and eventual abandonment of the site, the Caddo culture persists, with modern efforts to preserve traditions like pottery and language. The site, now a historical landmark, offers insights into Texas's rich past.

Takeaways

• 🏰 Around 1200 years ago, the Haciene Caddo established a village on the banks of the Natchez River in East Texas, which became a major ceremonial center.
• 🛣️ The village's location provided access to extensive trade routes and fertile lands rich in resources, supporting a population of 600 to 900 people.
• 🌾 Corn became a major crop, and the bow and arrow replaced the spear for more efficient hunting, while pottery was created for daily use and artistic expression.
• 🏔 Three mounds were constructed to mark important ceremonial areas, including a burial mound for community leaders and two temple or ceremonial platforms.
• 🏡 The village likely had over 150 houses, with extended family groups living in each, and it served as a hub for trade with other groups.
• 🔄 The Caddo traded items like bowdark wood, pottery, salt, and corn for stone objects, shells, copper, and ceremonial objects from distant regions.
• 📉 After five centuries, the Caddo political system declined, and the site was abandoned, with the people dispersing into smaller villages.
• 🚶 The Spanish later used existing Caddo trade routes, including one known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Road of the Tejas Indians.
• 🔍 Archaeological research, including the use of a magnetometer, has revealed much about the early Caddo, including the size and density of the settlement.
• 🏞️ The Caddo Mounds site, now preserved and open to the public, offers a glimpse into the social structure and culture of this earlier time.
• 🔗 Despite cultural disruption and the lack of written records, elements of Caddo culture have survived, including pottery, language, and traditional dances.

Q & A

Who were the Haciene and Caddo, and what did they establish around twelve hundred years ago?

The Haciene and Caddo were Native Americans who established a village on the banks of the Natchez River in East Texas around twelve hundred years ago. This village later developed into a major ceremonial center.

Why was the location of the Caddo village significant?

The location provided access to extensive trade routes and lands rich with fertile soil, abundant game, fish, and water, which contributed to the village's growth and prosperity.

What developments occurred during the 500 years of the village's flourishing?

During this time, an elite class of spiritual and political leaders emerged, governing a population of 600 to 900 people. Corn became a major crop, the bow and arrow replaced the spear for hunting, and pottery was created for everyday use and artistic expression.

What were the three mounds constructed in the village for?

The three mounds were constructed to mark important ceremonial areas. One was a burial mound for community leaders, and the other two were temple or ceremonial platforms used for religious activities and community gatherings.

How did the Caddo village's trade system function?

The Caddo village was a hub for trade with other groups. They traded items such as bowdark wood, pottery vessels, salt, corn, and other goods for exquisite stone objects, shells, copper, and ceremonial objects from as far away as Illinois.

Why was the Caddo political system eventually abandoned?

It is not known exactly why the Caddo political system waned after five centuries, but the site was abandoned, and the Caddo people dispersed into smaller villages.

How did the Spanish use the existing Caddo trade routes?

The Spanish used the existing Caddo trade routes as their roads through the region, with one such route becoming known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, or the Royal Road of the Tejas Indians.

What was the significance of the first excavation at the site conducted by the Federal Works Progress Administration?

The first excavation, conducted between 1939 and 1941, involved the excavation of the high temple mound, uncovering ceramic and stone ceremonial artifacts, and recording the site as the George C. Davis site.

Who led the most significant exploration of the site, and what were the outcomes?

Archaeologist Deanne Story from the University of Texas at Austin led the most significant exploration from 1968 through 1970, during which thousands of artifacts were excavated and analyzed.

How has modern technology contributed to the understanding of the Caddo village site?

A machine called a magnetometer, which uses sensors to measure magnetic anomalies beneath the ground surface, has been instrumental in locating structures and cultural features at the site without digging.

What efforts are being made by the Caddo Nation today to preserve their traditional practices?

The Caddo Nation in Winger, Oklahoma, is working to preserve traditional Caddo practices, including the revival of pottery traditions that were lost for over a century, and the teaching of the Caddo language to the younger generation.