Chucalissa Indian Village

Chucalissa Indian Village is an archaeological site in T. O. Fuller State Park in Memphis with several earthen mounds and exposed remains of a prehistoric settlement. The museum at the entrance displays finds from decades of excavation, including pottery and stone tools.

The settlement was occupied between 1000 and 1550 CE and discovered in 1938 during the construction of a swimming pool. Excavations in the following decades uncovered living areas, workshops, and burial sites.

The grounds preserve reconstructed timber structures and a central plaza that show how people lived and worked here centuries ago. Visitors can enter rebuilt homes and see how tools and pottery were used in daily routines.

The site sits within a larger park and is reachable on foot from a parking area, with paths that cross partly uneven ground. Guided tours help make sense of the layout, and a visit typically takes one to two hours.

The name comes from the Chickasaw language and means abandoned house, suggesting the settlement was left and reoccupied more than once. Some of the excavation areas remain open and accessible, so visitors can step directly into the work of archaeologists.