Spanish Hill

The Builders of the Mounds

Above the Serpent - Serpent Mound Ohio.

They placed a two story scaffold near the coiled tail area so that you can look down at the serpent and see it more clearly. You can tell I just climbed up the stairs as it takes me a minute to catch my breath. These are the best video shots of the serpent I have.

The Serpent Mound, Ohio

Here is a list of all videos accessible from this section and concerning the Effigy Mound Culture in Wisconsin.

1.) Water Panther (Spirit) effigy Mound Madison, WI

2.) Thunderbird Effigy Mound- University of Wisconsin.

3.) Devil's Lake and the Legend

4.) Linear and Bear Effigy Mound, Devil's Lake

5.) Man-Mound Effigy Mound in Sauk County Wisconsin

6.) The Alligator Mound,Ohio

Types of Man-Made Mounds

Man-made mounds are mounds that were made from the ground up and fall into four basic shapes or categories. Conical mounds, Effigy mounds, Temple Mounds and Geometric (usually linear) mounds. Use the following Links to learn more.


Conical Mounds - look like pyramids except that they are rounded. They, just as the great pyramids, were built in honor of some special shaman or king, and are in fact burial sites for them as well.	Effigy Mounds - are shaped like animals and or spirits, and were believed to have ceremonial, navigational and calendar-like purposes. It is known that many of these align with the stars and could have been used to predict solstices, and even eclipses.


Temple Mounds - were mounds that either were man-made or "truncated" natural hills. Structures (many times temples) were placed upon the flattened top and were considered to be "living spaces" for shamans or their leaders and their families.	Geometric-Shaped Mounds - were usually circular, square, or linear in shape, and were thought to have alot of the same uses as the effigy mounds, but sometimes (like the Newark site above) were believed to be created together to build ceremonial & observatory inside large complexes.

To learn more about the people who built the mounds, use the following links:

1.) The Mound Builder Myth	4.) Fort Ancient Culture
2.) Where Were All of These Earthworks?	5.) Types of Mounds
3.) Three Stages of Mound Building Cultures	6.) Helpful Resources (stay tuned!)