Moundville was first reported in 1848. It was recognized as one of the largest sites in North America at that time but excavations were not performed until the turn of the century. Moundville is located in central Alabama and was the home of the Mississippian Culture.
There are many mounds surrounding the village or plaza. The site is spread over three hundred acres of land. The mounds are located on a level plateau that is elevated about 60 feet above the Black Warrior River. Within this site there are earthen pyramids and a large plaza in the middle. The mounds range from three to sixty feet tall, but most of them are about twelve to fifteen feet tall. There are four small lakes within the site that archeologists believe were formed by the culture. They believe that the lakes are the borrow pits from the mound construction. These lakes were stocked with fish, which provided food for the people.
The most likely reason that the Mississippian culture was at the moundville site is because of its ecology. There is a sandy loam soil that is easily tilled even with very primitive tools. It is capable of having excellent harvests because the soil there is rich in nutrients. Hunting and gathering was also a big part of their existence. This site is located between the Cumberland Plateau and the coastal plain. The plateau land had a thick, rich forest and the plains had fertile land. They also had the coast and the Black Warrior River for fish and shellfish. The forests supplied a wide variety of fruits, berries, roots and greens, as well as game to hunt. The plains had rich soil that was easily tilled and harvested. This made for an excellent living environment.
Two archeologists named Douglas McKenzie and Christopher Peebles conducted research on the mounds from 1961 to 1966. They came to the conclusion that Moundville was a planned community. There is evidence that there was domestic occupation and public compounds. Some areas in the site suggest that there was industrial activity such as pottery making, shell bead manufacturing, and basket weaving. There also were specialized buildings that include two mortuary houses that the honored members were probably buried in. They believe that one of the buildings was a sweatlodge. It was a rectangular building with a hard packed clay floor. It had two clay fire basins in the floor, one round and one rectangular. These sweatlodges were used by the Southern Indians in purification ceremonies, like when the warriors returned from battle.