Mazique Archeological Site
Encyclopedia
The Mazique Archeological Site (22 AD 502), also known as White Apple Village, is a prehistoric Coles Creek culture
archaeological site
located in Adams County, Mississippi
. It is also the location of the historic White Apple Village of the Natchez people
and the Mazique Plantation. It was added to the NRHP
on October 23, 1991 as NRIS number 91001529.
and consisted of three platform mound
s and a central plaza. It was occupied during both the Coles Creek period (700-1000 CE) and the later Plaquemine Mississippian period (1000-1680 CE), when it was recorded in historic times as the White Apple village of the Natchez people
. Mound A sites directly on the bank of Second Creek and more than half of its mass has been lost due to the creek eroding into it. It is currently 8 m in height but was recorded as being 6.1 metres (20 ft) in height and 45.7 metres (149.9 ft) in circumference by Montroville W. Dickeson in 1841 and 18 feet (5.5 m) in height and 131 feet (39.9 m) in length on the top by Calvin Brown in 1916. Mound B is located to the southeast and is 4 m in height and has a historic cemetery on its summit. It still retains its flat topped shape. Dickeson was the only one to mention the third mound, which he described as smaller than the others and being further reduced by cultivation of its surface. By the time of the other surveys and investigations it is no longer mentioned and its location is still under investigation. The site is named for a local African-American family from southern Adams County who once owned the land.
and W. P. Lancaster.
, the second in Franklin County, Mississippi
and the third at the present location of the Mazique mound site. By the early 1700s the Natchez developed internal pro-British
and pro-French
factions. The pro-French faction was led by the tribal chief The Great Sun and his brother the Tattooed Serpent, and was based in the Grand Village of the Natchez
and supported by the villages of Flour and Tioux. These villages were in the southwestern part of Natchez territory near the Mississippi River
and closer to the location of French contact. The pro-English faction's villages lay to the northeast, closer to the Chickasaw
and English contact, and further from the river. The pro-English villages included White Apple, Jenzenaque, and Grigra. When violence broke out between the Natchez and the French, the village of White Apple was usually the main instigator of the hostility. This factional infighting was a holdover of pre European local politics, when various groups vied for supremacy over the polity. This had caused the main Natchez political leadership to switch amongst various sites thoughout the years, at times being located at Anna
, Emerald
, Foster
, Mazique, and the Grand Village sites. The First Natchez War (1716) began when raiders from White Apple killed four French traders. After the war, the French built Fort Rosalie
near the Grand Village, considered the beginning of Natchez, Mississippi
. In 1722 and 1723 war (Second and Third Natchez Wars) again broke out when in White Apple an argument over a debt resulted in a French trader's killing one of the Natchez villagers. Unsatisfied with the French commanders reprimand of the murderer the warriors of White Apple retaliated by attacking nearby French settlements until Tattooed Serpent's diplomatic efforts restored the peace. Within a year, a French army intent on punishing the warriors of White Apple demanded the surrender of a White Apple chief as recompense for the earlier Natchez attacks. Under pressure from the French and other Natchez villages, White Apple turned the chief over. When in the late 1720s both the elder Great Sun and Tattooed Serpent died, the chief of White Apple became the eldest Sun chief and had more political clout than the newly installed Great Sun, nephew of the previous Great Sun. The French continued to hold this new Great Sun responsible for the conduct of all Natchez villages and insisted on dealing with the Natchez people as a unified nation ruled from its capital, even though in reality this was not the situation. In 1729 the new French commander Sieur de Chépart ordered the emptying of White Apple so that he could use its land for a new tobacco plantation
. This was the final affront to the Natchez. The chiefs of White Apple sent emissaries to potential allies, including the Yazoo
, Koroa
, Illinois
, Chickasaw, and Choctaw
. They also sent messages to the African slaves of nearby French plantations, inviting them to join the Natchez in rising up to drive out the French. The Natchez destroyed the French settlements in their territory. In retaliation the French eventually killed or deported most of the Natchez people. Overshadowing the first three in scale and importance it is usually called simply the Natchez War.
Coles Creek culture
Coles Creek culture is a Late Woodland archaeological culture in the Lower Mississippi valley in the southern United States. It followed the Troyville culture. The period marks a significant change in the cultural history of the area...
archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
located in Adams County, Mississippi
Adams County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,340 people, 13,677 households, and 9,409 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 15,175 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
. It is also the location of the historic White Apple Village of the Natchez people
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
and the Mazique Plantation. It was added to the NRHP
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 23, 1991 as NRIS number 91001529.
Description
The site is located on the the west bank of Second Creek, a tributary of the Homochitto RiverHomochitto River
The Homochitto River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It flows from its source in southwest Mississippi for about west and south, emptying into the Mississippi River between Natchez and Woodville.-Course:...
and consisted of three platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
s and a central plaza. It was occupied during both the Coles Creek period (700-1000 CE) and the later Plaquemine Mississippian period (1000-1680 CE), when it was recorded in historic times as the White Apple village of the Natchez people
Natchez people
The Natchez are a Native American people who originally lived in the Natchez Bluffs area, near the present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi. They spoke a language isolate that has no known close relatives, although it may be very distantly related to the Muskogean languages of the Creek...
. Mound A sites directly on the bank of Second Creek and more than half of its mass has been lost due to the creek eroding into it. It is currently 8 m in height but was recorded as being 6.1 metres (20 ft) in height and 45.7 metres (149.9 ft) in circumference by Montroville W. Dickeson in 1841 and 18 feet (5.5 m) in height and 131 feet (39.9 m) in length on the top by Calvin Brown in 1916. Mound B is located to the southeast and is 4 m in height and has a historic cemetery on its summit. It still retains its flat topped shape. Dickeson was the only one to mention the third mound, which he described as smaller than the others and being further reduced by cultivation of its surface. By the time of the other surveys and investigations it is no longer mentioned and its location is still under investigation. The site is named for a local African-American family from southern Adams County who once owned the land.
Excavations
Mazique was visited in 1927 and 1929 James A. Ford and Moreau B. Chambers who performed a site survey and surface collection of ceramic fragments. Analysis of these fragments were used to date the site to the Coles Creek period. The first archaeological excavations at the site were in 1940 by the Natchez Historical Association at the instigation of local tourism promoter and entrepreneur, Jefferson Davis Dickson, Jr. Dickson then had a short lived "archaeological museum" built on the site during the early 1940s which caused serious damage. The site was again excavated in 1948 by John L. CotterJohn L. Cotter
John L. Cotter was an archaeologist working for the United States National Park Service.In 1966–67 he taught what was probably the first course in the U.S. to carry the title "Historical Archaeology", at the University of Pennsylvania.-External links:...
and W. P. Lancaster.
White Apple Village
White Apple Village had three different actual sites, which were each occupied at different times. The first was near Washington, MississippiWashington, Mississippi
Washington is a small unincorporated town in Adams County, Mississippi, United States, close to Natchez.-History:The town of Washington's namesake is George Washington...
, the second in Franklin County, Mississippi
Franklin County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 8,448 people, 3,211 households, and 2,337 families residing in the county. The population density was 15 people per square mile . There were 4,119 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
and the third at the present location of the Mazique mound site. By the early 1700s the Natchez developed internal pro-British
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
and pro-French
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
factions. The pro-French faction was led by the tribal chief The Great Sun and his brother the Tattooed Serpent, and was based in the Grand Village of the Natchez
Grand Village of the Natchez
Grand Village of the Natchez, also known as the Fatherland Site, is a site encompassing a prehistoric indigenous village and earthwork mounds in present-day south Natchez, Mississippi. The village complex was constructed starting about 1200 CE by members of the prehistoric Plaquemine culture....
and supported by the villages of Flour and Tioux. These villages were in the southwestern part of Natchez territory near the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and closer to the location of French contact. The pro-English faction's villages lay to the northeast, closer to the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
and English contact, and further from the river. The pro-English villages included White Apple, Jenzenaque, and Grigra. When violence broke out between the Natchez and the French, the village of White Apple was usually the main instigator of the hostility. This factional infighting was a holdover of pre European local politics, when various groups vied for supremacy over the polity. This had caused the main Natchez political leadership to switch amongst various sites thoughout the years, at times being located at Anna
Anna Site
The Anna Site is a prehistoric Plaquemine culture archaeological site located in Adams County, Mississippi north of Natchez. It is the type site for the Anna Phase of the Natchez Bluffs Plaquemine culture chronology...
, Emerald
Emerald Mound Site
The Emerald Mound Site , also known as the Selzertown site, is a Plaquemine culture Mississippian period archaeological site located on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Stanton, Mississippi, United States. The site dates from the period between 1200 and 1730 CE...
, Foster
Foster's Mound
Foster's Mound is a Plaquemine culture archaeological site located in Adams County, Mississippi northeast of Natchez off US 61. It is the type site for the Foster Phase of the Natchez Bluffs Plaquemine culture chronology...
, Mazique, and the Grand Village sites. The First Natchez War (1716) began when raiders from White Apple killed four French traders. After the war, the French built Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie
Fort Rosalie was a French fort built in 1716 in the territory of the Natchez Native Americans. The present-day city of Natchez, Mississippi developed at this site. As part of the peace terms that ended the Natchez War of 1716, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville required the Natchez to...
near the Grand Village, considered the beginning of Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
. In 1722 and 1723 war (Second and Third Natchez Wars) again broke out when in White Apple an argument over a debt resulted in a French trader's killing one of the Natchez villagers. Unsatisfied with the French commanders reprimand of the murderer the warriors of White Apple retaliated by attacking nearby French settlements until Tattooed Serpent's diplomatic efforts restored the peace. Within a year, a French army intent on punishing the warriors of White Apple demanded the surrender of a White Apple chief as recompense for the earlier Natchez attacks. Under pressure from the French and other Natchez villages, White Apple turned the chief over. When in the late 1720s both the elder Great Sun and Tattooed Serpent died, the chief of White Apple became the eldest Sun chief and had more political clout than the newly installed Great Sun, nephew of the previous Great Sun. The French continued to hold this new Great Sun responsible for the conduct of all Natchez villages and insisted on dealing with the Natchez people as a unified nation ruled from its capital, even though in reality this was not the situation. In 1729 the new French commander Sieur de Chépart ordered the emptying of White Apple so that he could use its land for a new tobacco plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. This was the final affront to the Natchez. The chiefs of White Apple sent emissaries to potential allies, including the Yazoo
Yazoo tribe
The Yazoo were a tribe of the Native American Tunica people historically located on the lower course of Yazoo River, Mississippi. It was closely connected to other Tunica peoples, especially the Tunica, Koroa, and possibly the Tioux....
, Koroa
Koroa
The Koroa were one of the groups of indigenous people who lived in the Mississippi Valley prior to the European settlement of the region. They lived in the northwest of present-day Mississippi in the Yazoo River basin. They were believed to speak a dialect of Tunica.The Koroa may be the tribe...
, Illinois
Illiniwek
The Illinois Confederation, sometimes referred to as the Illiniwek or Illini, were a group of twelve to thirteen Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America...
, Chickasaw, and Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
. They also sent messages to the African slaves of nearby French plantations, inviting them to join the Natchez in rising up to drive out the French. The Natchez destroyed the French settlements in their territory. In retaliation the French eventually killed or deported most of the Natchez people. Overshadowing the first three in scale and importance it is usually called simply the Natchez War.