Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center

Spiro Mounds is one of the most important archaeological sites in North America. Located near the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, the site was a major ceremonial and political center of the Mississippian cultural world between roughly A.D. 800 and 1450. The mounds and surrounding village were connected to a vast trade network stretching across much of the continent. Objects found at Spiro include materials and artistic traditions linked with the Great Lakes, Gulf Coast, Rocky Mountains and Southeast, demonstrating the extraordinary reach of the community. In the 1930s, looters badly damaged one of the most important mounds, but professional archaeological work later revealed the site's national significance. The interpretive center explains the people who built Spiro, their art, religion, trade and daily life while emphasizing connections with Native peoples today. Walking the grounds is essential. The mounds may appear subtle compared with later monumental architecture, but understanding the labor and organization required to build them changes the way the landscape is perceived. Spiro is one of Oklahoma's most historically important destinations of any period.