Aztalan State Park

Aztalan State Park is an archaeological park and historic site in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States, covering around 172 acres and preserving the remains of a pre-Columbian settlement along the Crawfish River. Visitors see several earth mounds of varying sizes, traces of palisade walls, and marked areas where residential structures once stood.

Between roughly 1000 and 1300, people from the Middle Mississippian culture established a settlement here and built large platform mounds used for rituals. The inhabitants abandoned the site after several centuries, possibly due to climate shifts or social conflicts.

Some of the raised platforms held important buildings or served religious purposes, while others may have been used for burials. The reconstructed wooden palisades and marked outlines of former living areas help visitors understand how the settlement was organized and used.

A network of walking paths runs through the grounds and past the main features, making it easy to explore on foot. Interpretive signs along the trails explain the excavation findings and help with orientation.

This site marks the northernmost reach of the Middle Mississippian culture, far from the major centers of that tradition along the Mississippi River. The combination of residential buildings, defensive structures, and ceremonial platforms in a settlement so distant from the heartland is considered unusual.

Location: Aztalan

Inception: 1947

Website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/aztalan

GPS coordinates: 43.06560,-88.86290

Latest update: December 20, 2025 12:17