Poverty Point: The Oldest Architecture in North America

Thirty-four centuries ago, hunter-gatherers in what is now West Carroll Parish moved 750,000 cubic yards of earth — by hand, in woven baskets — to build six concentric ridges and a 72-foot mound. No one knows exactly why. Poverty Point predates the Pyramids of Giza and is the largest pre-Columbian earthwork complex in North America. UNESCO granted it World Heritage status in 2014. The site challenges every assumption about what pre-agricultural societies could achieve. From the observation tower, the scale is staggering: the outer ridge measures three-quarters of a mile across.