Appearance and Manner of Dress

© Photographed July 21, 2015

Aztalan State Park

Jefferson, Jefferson County, Wisconsin

43.063353, -88.861921

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Appearance and Manner of Dress

 It is fare for clothing to be preserved, so we need other sources of information to determine how people dressed. Sometimes, occasional fragments and ornamentation are preserved. Second, artistic depictions might include cave paintings, figurines, and designs on artifacts. Finally, historic and/or ethnographic accounts of related or similar peoples provide additional information.

At Aztalan, quite a bit of ornamentation or jewelry has been recovered, including earspools (similar to earrings) made of stone, copper, or clay; and pendants and beads made out of shell, copper, and stone. Based on their location in burials, we know that pendants and beads were worn around the neck, wrist, and ankles. Drilled animal bone was also worn in this fashion.

Stone figurines found at other Mississippian sites, and cave paintings found in Wisconsin, confirm these general views, and suggest that there may have been variety in garments as well as the use of colorful feathers. Who you were in the society likely determined what you wore.

Appearance and Manner of Dress

Some examples of mussel shell beads found at Aztalan. 

The marker is one of a series of markers located on the grounds of Aztalan State Park, located at N6200 County Rd Q, Jefferson, Wisconsin 53549.

Wisconsin State Park System: Aztalan State Park

Friends of Aztalan State Park

Wisconsin Historical Society: Mississippian Culture and Aztalan

Wisconsin Historical Society Press: Aztalan: Mysteries of an Ancient Indian Town

Aztalan has remained a mystery since the early 19th century when it was discovered by settlers who came to the Crawfish River, 50 miles west of Milwaukee. Who were the early indigenous people who inhabited this place? When did they live here? Why did they disappear? Robert Birmingham and Lynne Goldstein attempt to unlock some of the mysteries, providing insights and information about the group of people who first settled here in 1100 A.D. Filled with maps, drawings, and photographs of artifacts, this volume examines a time before modern Native American people settled in this area.

To receive a review copy or press release, to schedule an author event, or for more information contact the WHS Press Marketing Department:

whspress@wisconsinhistory.org.

Note: This book meets and exceeds the requirements of the Wisconsin American Indian Education Act (Act 31).

The foregoing content used with permission of Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Aztalan is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Wisconsin.

Click here to view all markers at Aztalan State Park.

Dexter in Doggie Heaven!

 The Visitor Center was closed the day of my visit.

The marker is located at Aztalan State Park in Jefferson, Wisconsin.