Village Life

Village Life. . The village surrounding Caddo Mounds was divided into two distinct living areas, one for the spiritual and cultural leaders and the other for the common villagers. The inner village surrounded the temple mounds and housed the village's spiritual and political leaders. The remainder of the village consisted of smaller clustered homes, shaded working areas, and farming plots. The Caddo people introduced agricultural practices to the region, and the fertile prairie of the outer village supported crops of corn, squash, pumpkins, sunflowers, and beans. The Caddo also relied on a wide variety of wild foods, which helped sustain them in years of crop shortage or failure. Fishing was an important food source, along with hunting deer, rabbit, and turkey. The villagers also gathered edible wild plants, including acorns, hickory nuts, grapes and persimmons., Caption , Food production and storage , While the Caddo consumed freshly harvested foods, they also preserved and stored them for winter and early spring. Most foods, including corn, fruit, and meat could be dried and stored in woven baskets or ceramic containers. The Caddo built raised granaries in the village to store their foodstuffs and seeds for the next planting season. The air circulation under and around the granary protected its contents against mold, mildew, and infestations., Images: Olivier, Emu, Banariou, Fotolla; illustration, Howell Golson