Archaeological and historical evidence indicates that the Grand Village of Natchez Indians was not really a village but the main ceremonial mound center for the Natchez Indians during the period of French exploration and colonization of the Natchez area from 1682 to 1730. The term Grand Village is a translation of the name given to the site during the French colonization period. The only people who lived at the ceremonial center were the Great Sun, the Natchez chief, and a few tribal officials, while most Natchez people lived away from the mound centers on family farms. Members of the tribe gathered periodically at the Grand Village for religious and social ceremonies. Emerald Mound, near the Natchez Trace Parkway about 15 miles northeast of the Grand Village, probably served as the tribe's main ceremonial center during the 16th and 17th centuries. During that period the Grand Village mound center functioned as an adjunct to Emerald, but Emerald Mound was mysteriously abandoned prior to European contact with the Natchez Indians and the Grand Village became the tribe's main ceremonial center.
