Princess Burial Mound

Ancient people built this mound to mark a young woman's grave. It was the last in a line of mounds that once bordered the western side of the ancient community of Aztalan and the only one that contained a burial. Her community placed her on her back with her hands at her sides in a pit dug down to a natural layer of white sand. They carefully wrapped her body with three six-inch-wide and four-feet-long beaded belts placed at her shoulders, waist, and feet. Hundreds of disc-shaped beads made from local clamshell and tubular beads made from shells imported from the Gulf Coast adorned her belts. She was then covered with soil, a layer of white sand, and a large mound of earth. Because of the ornate belts and the careful placement of her remains, this interment has been referred to as the Princess Burial.

Lake Mills, Wisconsin · United States