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arrived in North America. The problem with history being taught this way is that it discounts the history and culture of the many Native American societies who lived in America long before Leif Eriksson or Christopher Columbus even knew about the existence of the continent. The lack of Native American history could be due to the lack of Indian testimonials and written history or that America is a largely Eurocentric nation. No matter the reason, the lack of knowledge about these societies has caused many myths to arise about pre-contact Indian societies. However, these societies were very complex, thought out, and constructed to accommodate thousands of Native Americans. An example of these societies would be the Hopewellian culture, which was followed by the Mississippian culture. These societies disprove the myths of pre-contact Indian societies by the towering architecture, interactions with neighboring societies, and the societal hierarchy and roles played by the Mississippians and Hopewellians.

Likely the most well-known factor of these societies are their impressive mound-based cities and structures. One of the most awe-inspiring structures is the Great Serpent Mound in current-day Adams County, Ohio (Calloway, p.35). This mound is more than one thousand feet of dirt placed to resemble a serpent. Around 700 CE, one of the largest Mississipian towns, Cahokia, was founded. At its peak, Cahokia was home to “between ten thousand and thirty thousand [people], or about the population of medieval London,” (Calloway, p.33). The city contained plazas, religious hubs, and astronomical observatories.

The Mississippians interactions with their neighbors were just as impressive as the structures they built. When the Spanish arrived in the sixteenth century, the mound structures of the Mississip