Louisiana’s history begins over 10,000 years ago. Our state has the oldest earthen mounds in North America, even older than Stonehenge or the Great Pyramids. At the time Poverty Point was built (about 1500 BC), its earthworks were the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It has been designated as a U.S. National Monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the beauty of our bounty captured the spirits of the first residents here, they began to build earthen mounds to celebrate their bond to this land. The concept spread throughout the Southeast and the Ohio Valley, producing magnificent mounds; but no other state’s mounds surpass the span of time, diversity of style, or degree of preservation found here.
As the beauty of our bounty captured the spirits of the first residents here, they began to build earthen mounds to celebrate their bond to this land. The concept spread throughout the Southeast and the Ohio Valley, producing magnificent mounds; but no other state’s mounds surpass the span of time, diversity of style, or degree of preservation found here.