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201718_EP.qxd 2/3/06 7:57 PM Page 50
.T»3sysT .an^ CTC13':..!.ia..«»3i«SB.i;3Si*w»WFrs&«!aaa^
6ff'«-^'7S»S4iKSS'>e»-' '^m
Photo by Joel Heiman
Aztalan
Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town
By Robert A. Birmingham and Lynne G. Goldstein
The following is adapted from Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town, by Robert A. Birmingham and Lynne G. Goldstein, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Mapping Aztalan
Increase A. Lapham, widely consid¬ ered Wisconsin's first scientist, made a detailed map of the site in the 1850s. A transplant from Ohio with a surveying background, Lapham's interest in Native American antiquities can be traced to his discovery of effigy mounds while laying out streets in the new village of Milwaukee. In 1855, the results of Lapham's subsequent research appeared as The Antiquities of Wisconsin, a land¬ mark publication that was the first book on Wisconsin archaeology. ^
An accomplished surveyor and gifted cartographer, Lapham described many
intriguing features that Hyer had overlooked. Lapham's explorations further compounded the mysteries of Aztalan. Digging into conical mounds on a ridge overlooking the ruins, he found that they covered locations of large wooden posts rather than human burials. He excavated into the ruined walls of the site and, contrary to earlier diggers, con¬ cluded that they were made of earth. Although Lapham thought that most earthworks in the state could be attrib¬ uted to indigenous Native Americans, he was also struck by the similarity of the large, flat-topped earthen mounds at Aztalan to the stone pyramids of Mexico. He offered the theory that Aztalan had been founded by pre-Columbian Mexi¬ can colonists and that it functioned as a ceremonial site rather than as a fort.
Despite some efforts to preserve the site, Aztalan was left in the late nine¬ teenth century to relic hunters and gen-
Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town
Robert A. Birmingliam Lynne G. Goldstein
50
www.wisconsinhistory.org
Object Description
| Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 89, number 3, spring 2006 |
| Article Title | Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 89, number 3, spring 2006 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | State Historical Society of Wisconsin |
| Series | Wisconsin Magazine of History ; v. 89, no. 3 |
| Format-Digital | xml |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol89no030000 |
| Description | This issue includes articles on the Woman’s Club of Madison, Ole Evinrude’s outboard motor, and tattooed lady Anna Gibbons. |
| Volume | 089 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year | 2005-2006 |
Description
| Title | 50 |
| Page Number | 50 |
| Article Title | Aztalan: mysteries of an ancient Indian town |
| Author | Birmingham, Robert A.; Goldstein, Lynne |
| Page type | Article home; Image |
| Format-Digital | jpeg |
| Publisher-Electronic | Wisconsin Historical Society |
| Rights | © Copyright 2007 by the Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, Wisconsin) |
| Publication Date-Electronic | 2007 |
| ISSN | 1943-7366 |
| Identifier-Digital | vol89no030052 |
| Description | Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town: This article consists of a short excerpt from Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town which focuses on the history of archaeological research at the Jefferson County site. (4 pages) |
| Volume | 089 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year | 2005-2006 |
| State/Province | Wisconsin; |
| County | Jefferson County; |
| Community | Aztalan; |
| Decade | 1850-1859; 1890-1899; 1900-1909; 1910-1919; 1920-1929; 1930-1939; 1970-1979; 1980-1989; 1990-1999; 2000-2009; |
| Subject | Mounds; Excavations; Archaeology; Native Americans; |
| Full Text | 201718_EP.qxd 2/3/06 7:57 PM Page 50 .T»3sysT .an^ CTC13':..!.ia..«»3i«SB.i;3Si*w»WFrs&«!aaa^ 6ff'«-^'7S»S4iKSS'>e»-' '^m Photo by Joel Heiman Aztalan Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town By Robert A. Birmingham and Lynne G. Goldstein The following is adapted from Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town, by Robert A. Birmingham and Lynne G. Goldstein, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Mapping Aztalan Increase A. Lapham, widely consid¬ ered Wisconsin's first scientist, made a detailed map of the site in the 1850s. A transplant from Ohio with a surveying background, Lapham's interest in Native American antiquities can be traced to his discovery of effigy mounds while laying out streets in the new village of Milwaukee. In 1855, the results of Lapham's subsequent research appeared as The Antiquities of Wisconsin, a land¬ mark publication that was the first book on Wisconsin archaeology. ^ An accomplished surveyor and gifted cartographer, Lapham described many intriguing features that Hyer had overlooked. Lapham's explorations further compounded the mysteries of Aztalan. Digging into conical mounds on a ridge overlooking the ruins, he found that they covered locations of large wooden posts rather than human burials. He excavated into the ruined walls of the site and, contrary to earlier diggers, con¬ cluded that they were made of earth. Although Lapham thought that most earthworks in the state could be attrib¬ uted to indigenous Native Americans, he was also struck by the similarity of the large, flat-topped earthen mounds at Aztalan to the stone pyramids of Mexico. He offered the theory that Aztalan had been founded by pre-Columbian Mexi¬ can colonists and that it functioned as a ceremonial site rather than as a fort. Despite some efforts to preserve the site, Aztalan was left in the late nine¬ teenth century to relic hunters and gen- Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town Robert A. Birmingliam Lynne G. Goldstein 50 www.wisconsinhistory.org |