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Chucalissa Archaeological Museum

City: Memphis, TN
Region: West Tennessee
Subregion: Memphis & Surrounding Areas

Visit this prehistoric Native American archaeological site dating to the 15th-century with a museum, gift shop, nature trail and picnic area.

See the remnants of the Indians that once flourished along the eastern shore of the Mississippi River. These ancient peoples hunted; made tools of bone, stone, and wood; were capable farmers; and lived in thatch-roofed homes. They built earthworks and worshipped the sun.

Chucalissa is a working reconstruction of a 1,000-year-old Indian village that flourished here, with grass thatched huts, a temple, and a ceremonial burial ground. A museum at the site helps visitors understand its history. The name means “house abandoned” or “deserted town” and was chosen for the site by its rebuilders. The original peoples were encountered by DeSoto in 1541, but had deserted the town by 1673 when the French arrived. Today Choctaw Indians live on the site and demonstrate Indian crafts. The rebuilt village is operated by the University of Memphis.

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