Toltec Mounds
Eastern Woodland

Toltec Mounds

Wikimedia Commons / Heironymous Rowe (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Location
Lonoke County, Arkansas
Period
Plum Bayou culture (700–1050 CE)
State
Arkansas
Tradition
Eastern Woodland

Overview

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park preserves the largest and most complex ceremonial site of the Plum Bayou culture, featuring 18 mounds enclosed within an earthen embankment and an oxbow lake. Despite its name, the site has no connection to the Toltec civilization of Mesoamerica.

Historical significance

Toltec Mounds is the largest mound site in Arkansas and a National Historic Landmark. It provides the primary evidence for the Plum Bayou culture, a Late Woodland society distinct from both the preceding Hopewell tradition and the later Mississippian culture, occupying a transitional position in the archaeological sequence of the central Mississippi Valley.

Key discoveries

  • 18 mounds of varying sizes enclosed within a D-shaped embankment
  • The embankment originally stood 6 feet tall and enclosed approximately 100 acres
  • Plum Bayou culture ceramics distinct from both Hopewell and Mississippian traditions
  • Evidence of astronomical alignments in the spatial arrangement of mounds
  • Animal bone assemblages indicating both hunting and domesticated species

About the site

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park preserves the largest and most complex Plum Bayou culture site in Arkansas, featuring 18 mounds enclosed within a massive earthen embankment. Despite its modern name — applied by 19th-century settlers who incorrectly attributed the site to the Toltec civilization of Mexico — the site was constructed by a local Late Woodland people known as the Plum Bayou culture between approximately 700 and 1050 CE.

The site originally consisted of at least 18 mounds of varying sizes arranged within a large D-shaped embankment that once stood approximately six feet tall and enclosed about 100 acres, with an adjacent oxbow lake forming the straight side of the D. Two mounds survive at heights of more than 40 feet; most of the others have been reduced by plowing or erosion.

The Plum Bayou culture is distinguished from both preceding Hopewell and succeeding Mississippian traditions by distinctive ceramic styles, mound configurations, and community organization. Its relationship to these adjacent traditions continues to be investigated.

Astronomical research conducted by University of Arkansas archaeologist Martha Rolingson has identified alignments between several mounds corresponding to lunar and solar cycles, suggesting that astronomical observation played a role in the site's planning and use. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and is managed as a state park.

Source

Content for this page is derived from the Wikipedia article on Toltec Mounds and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Source: Wikipedia.

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Frequently asked about Toltec Mounds

What is Toltec Mounds?
Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park preserves the largest and most complex ceremonial site of the Plum Bayou culture, featuring 18 mounds enclosed within an earthen embankment and an oxbow lake. Despite its name, the site has no connection to the Toltec civilization of Mesoamerica.
When was Toltec Mounds occupied?
Toltec Mounds was occupied during the Plum Bayou culture (700–1050 CE). Toltec Mounds is the largest mound site in Arkansas and a National Historic Landmark.
Where is Toltec Mounds located?
Toltec Mounds is located in Lonoke County, Arkansas.
What is the significance of Toltec Mounds?
Toltec Mounds is the largest mound site in Arkansas and a National Historic Landmark. It provides the primary evidence for the Plum Bayou culture, a Late Woodland society distinct from both the preceding Hopewell tradition and the later Mississippian culture, occupying a transitional position in the archaeological sequence of the central Mississippi Valley.

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