Waystation for Travelers and Traders

Waystation for Travelers and Traders. . The Caddo village served as a major regional trade center, connected to other settlements by a series of long-distance trade routes. The people here exchanged goods with other groups nearby and from hundreds of miles away. The Caddo imported high quality raw stone materials, which were in short local supply, to make tools and weapons, as well as finished stone pieces. Many of the imported stone artifacts, such as pipes, axe heads, and ear spools, may have originated north of the Red River, in central Texas, or in the Mississippi Valley. Some of the more exotic materials, such as marine shells and copper, found at this site can be traced as far away as the Florida coast and the Great Lakes region. In exchange for these objects, the Caddo may have traded foodstuffs, salt, fine pottery, and bows crafted from the local bois d'arc tree., El Camino Real de los Tejas , The early trade routes established by the Caddo later supported European settlement, as well as economic and political growth in Texas for over 300 years. When Europeans first arrived in Caddo territory, they found well-traversed trails connecting native cultural settlements. The Spanish built missions and posts along the main thoroughfares, which collectively became known as El Camino Real de los Tejas, or The King's Road to the Tejas., Captions , Imports , Marine shell . Turquoise . Celt stone axe head . Ear spool, Exports , Salt . Pottery . Corn . Bois d'arc bows, From where you stand the Caddo traders conveyed their valuable bow wood and abundant produce to neighboring groups. In return they received goods such as ear spools, pipes, and axe heads as part of a network of trade that. took place among the people of the Americas., Images: Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma; Texas Beyond History TARL, University of Texas at Austin; Moonlight GemStones; Fatolla; Phi Cross; Texas Historical Commission Collection; Illustration, Howell Golson