High Temple Mound -- Caddo Mounds SHS, SH 21 W of Alto, TX - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This sign of history is located at the High Temple Mound at Caddo Mounds State Historic site, and reads as follows:

"HIGH TEMPLE MOUND

The mound was originally three times its current length and reached 35 feet tall. It was the spiritual and political center of the village with buildings for worship or government. Archaeological evidence suggests that periodically, the buildings on top of the temple mound were ceremonially destroyed by fire and then rebuilt on the layer of fresh dirt brought to cover the charred remains.

Ceremonial Rebirth Through Fire
in the Caddo account of creation, the first man and woman brought fire, a tobacco pipe, a drum, and seeds for planting into this world with them. All of these items appear in the ceremonial life of the Caddo, with fire featuring prominently. Along with the ceremonial burning of structures, at least one village structure may have housed a “perpetual fire,” attended by the xinesi, or priest, a feature also common to later Caddo groups.

The Maze
during the 1940 excavation of this mound, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a very unique structure which they called “The Maze,” which was approximately 30 feet in diameter. While the exact use of the building remains unknown, its specialized construction indicates that it was a ceremonial or ritualistic space."

Group that erected the marker: Texas Historical Commission URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 1649 SH 21 W Alto, TX

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   12/30/2017 Benchmark Blasterz visited it