There’s A Place Called Aztalan

There’s a place, in Wisconsin (about 25 miles east of Madison on the Crawfish River), called Aztalan. It got its name from a German geographer, Baron Von Humboldt, who, because of its apparent similarity to cities of the Aztec Empire, mistakenly thought it was a northern settlement of this tribe. Aztalan contains the remains of a village with pyramid mounds similar to those of Cahokia in what is now East St. Louis. It was believed to have been settled between 1100-1300 AD, was about 21 acres in size, and was believed to have had a population of about 500. It was surrounded by a fence and sentry towers enclosing the houses, pyramids, and cornfields.

Adding to the area’s intrigue is Rock Lake, about 3 miles from Aztalan, in which up to ten pyramidal and other stone structures are said to be submerged. One of these structures, called the Limnatis Pyramid, is said to have a base width of 60 feet, a length of about 100 feet, and a height of 18 feet, built mostly of round, black stones. It is believed these structures may have been buried underwater about 3,000 years ago when a deluge flooded the area.

It's intriguing to think how much of our continent's pre-Columbian history is still buried or submerged awaiting excavation.