Ancient Spring At Aztalan

The archaeological site of Aztalan is wonderful spot to visit.  With it’s restored platform mounds, reconstructed palisade, and interpretive trails, there is no place better to see what a Late Woodland/Mississippian village might have looked like.

Due to agricultural practices from the mid-19th through mid-20th centuries, most of the features were seriously destroyed.  Much of what we see are reconstructions from the 1940’s and 1950’s.

However, there does exist some features at Aztalan that escaped destruction from plowing,  The marker mounds on the ridge northwest of the main village area comes to mind.  There is, however, another spot that is not well known to most non-archaeologists.  There is a spring on the bank of the Crawfish River that has escaped destruction.  It is a short distance north of the southeast mound (aka the’Gravel Knoll’).  This spring is dry most of the year, but in times of heavier rain, the ground in the spring itself is quite damp.  I have occasionally seen small pockets of water in it.

Samual Barrett, famous Aztalan archeologist of the early 20th century noted this spring in his book “Ancient Aztalan.”  Barrett writes:

“15.  Here, in a considerable depression, we found an area roughly 10 feed in width by 22 feet in length, which had been quite carefully paved with relatively flat stones.  Immediately outside this paved area there was a line of stones which may very well have been used as stepping-stones to reach this paved area.  From early settlers we learned that  there had formerly been a spring at this point and according to their statements this paving was evidently here when the site was originally discovered, so there is every probability that this this paving and these stepping stones were place here by the aboriginal inhabitants in order to facilitate access to this old spring.  The spring is now completely dried up.”

The area of this spring remains undisturbed today.  Access to it is difficult due to to the thick growth of invasive species. It should also be noted that this is just one of many springs noted in the area.  The Crawfish River at this spot can be dangerous to cross in the winter months as springs in the river often keep the ice thin or non-existent.