Tucked away in the northeast corner of the Pelican State lies one of the greatest feats of engineering, Poverty Point. Poverty Point is both a National Monument and a World Heritage Site, attracting people from all over the world every year. The history behind how this massive earthly structure was built is fascinating, and once you learn about it, you’ll be packing up the car to see it for yourself.

Poverty Point was built over 3,400 years ago.
Poverty Point World Heritage Site/Facebook
This is an illustration of what historians believed the site looked like in its heyday.
It was built between 1650 to 700 BCE, during the Archaic Period.
Heironymous Rowe/Wikimedia
It took generations to complete. Everything was built by hand, basketful by basketful.
The site consists of several semi-circles and a massive mound that stood over 70 feet tall.
Herb Roe/Wikimedia
It dwarfed any other structure for many years. Not only was the sheer size a mystery to historians, but as archaeologists have excavated the area, they've found materials and rocks that aren't native to the area. So where did they come from?

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Poverty Point is built around Bayou Macon, and it's believed that the bayou was used as a highway of sorts for attaining materials.
Sam. Wylie/Google
The folks that built Poverty Point left no written words behind, so we've had to piece together the storyline with artifacts left behind.
For many years, historians believe Poverty Point served as a massive trading center and growing community.
FN/Google
The bayou would have provided the perfect tributary to send and receive goods.
But why build the site in the first place? No one knows for sure.
Izak Stoltz/Google
Poverty Point was mysteriously abandoned around 1100 B.C. With no written words left behind, we may never know why.
When you visit Poverty Point, you'll get to walk the trails to see the mounds.
Poverty Point World Heritage Site/Facebook
Erosion and time have worn down the ridges and mounds, so they're not the massive structures from 3,000 years ago, but they're still impressive when you think about how they were built.

Visit the Poverty Point World Heritage Site website for more information, and while you’re in the area, consider spending a night or two at the nearby Poverty Point State Park.

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Featured Addresses
Poverty Point World Heritage Site, 6859 LA-577, Pioneer, LA 71266, USA