The Central Plaza

The Central Plaza. . The flat, recessed square you see behind you is what we refer to as the Plaza. The people who lived at Chucalissa kept this area clean and never buried anything in the plaza. The plaza is most clearly defined by the residential edge that surrounds it on three sides. This ridge was built up at the same time the largest mound was started in 1350 CE, the time of the largest population at Chucalissa. , Archaeologists rarely discover objects in the plazas of Mississippian sites. We must infer how this space was used based on the ways other people have used plazas. We believe that the people of Chucalissa used their plaza much like parks and town squares are used in the European tradition - as shared spaces to gather as a community. , (aside:), One way to interpret archaeological sites is to use examples from historic Native American communities. French and Spanish Imperial explorers documented several uses for plazas in towns throughout the Southeast. Native American people continue to use plazas for ceremonies, dances and sporting events that involve the entire community.