Moundville, the Ancient City

By 1250 Moundville could be likened to a city with over 1,000 people in one of the largest settlements in North America north of Mexico.

This 320-acre site had a 10-foot tall protective palisade and a large central plaza that featured 29 earthen mounds, ranging from 3 to 57 feet high.

It is believed that a minko', or leader, and members of an elite class controlled Moundville. Residents lived around the mounds in wooden structures.