Chucalissa Site | |
 C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa (2009) | |
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| Location | 1987 Indian Village Drive,Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates | 35°3′45″N90°7′44″W / 35.06250°N 90.12889°W /35.06250; -90.12889 |
| Area | 160 acres (65 ha)[1] |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001830 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 7, 1973[2] |
| Designated NHL | April 19, 1994[3] |
TheC.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa is located on and exhibits excavated materials of theMississippian culturearchaeological site known asChucalissa (40 SY 1) which means "abandoned house" in Chickasaw. The site is located adjacent to theT. O. Fuller State Park within the city ofMemphis, Tennessee, United States. Chucalissa was designatedNational Historic Landmark in 1994 due to its importance as one of the best-preserved and major prehistoric settlement sites in the region.[1]
Chucalissa is aWalls phase mound and plaza complex that was occupied, abandoned and reoccupied several times throughout its history, spanning from 1000 to 1550 CE. It is located on a bluff overlooking theMississippi River. Other contemporaneous groups in the area include theParkin phase,Menard phase, and theNodena phase. It is known for the well preserved architectural, floral, faunal, and humanosteological remains excavated there. During the early 1540s theHernando de Soto Expedition passed through the area, stopping at many villages along the way. It is thought that the Walls phase may be theProvince of Quizquiz encountered by de Soto on the banks of the Mississippi River. There is no evidence that Chucalissa itself was visited by the expedition, as it is thought to have been abandoned at the time.[4]
Civilian Conservation Corps workers discovered Native American artifacts on the site in 1938 and archaeological excavations of thisMississippian mound complex were initiated. The C. H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa and the rest of the village grounds have been operated by theUniversity of Memphis since 1962.[5]
In 1973 Chucalissa Indian Village was added to theNational Register of Historic Places.[2] Later, in 1994, it was declared aNational Historic Landmark.[1][3] The archaeological site and grounds are managed by the C. H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa staff and students. The museum, named after its founding director, curates an extensive collection of artifacts recovered during a 40-year period of systematic excavations. The site features aMississippianmound complex, nature trail and arboretum, hands-on archaeology lab, and exhibits that explore the history and life-ways of Native Americans of the historic and prehistoric southeastern United States.
| Middle Mississippian |
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| South Appalachian Mississippian |
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| Fort Walton culture | |||||||||||
| Pensacola culture | |||||||||||
| Plaquemine Mississippian | |||||||||||
| Caddoan Mississippian | |||||||||||
| Upper Mississippian cultures |
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| Culture |
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