Poverty Point

Poverty Point is an archaeological site in West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, made up of six semicircular earthen ridges and several mounds spread across roughly 368 hectares. The layout shows a deliberate pattern with openings facing east, suggesting a planned settlement structure.

The site was built between 1700 and 1100 BC when communities moved roughly 1.5 million cubic meters of earth without metal tools or pack animals. Around 1100 BC, the inhabitants left for unknown reasons, and the settlement was never reoccupied.

The name comes from a 19th-century plantation that once occupied the land, unrelated to the original builders. Today, visitors from the region come to walk the preserved earthworks and learn about the early inhabitants of the Mississippi valley.

The grounds are open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, with guided walks and tram rides available through the earthworks. Admission costs 4 dollars per person, and comfortable shoes are recommended since some paths cross uneven terrain.

The largest mound reaches 22 meters (72 feet) in height and 215 meters (705 feet) in width, and studies suggest it was raised in just three months. Archaeologists also found thousands of small baked clay balls, likely used as cooking stones and evidence of the absence of pottery during this period.