The Mississippian culture was a mound-building culture that flourished between 800 CE and 1500 CE. They were present in a territory that extended from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River. Mississippian culture began to develop in the Mississippi River Valley. Many cultural traits are recognized as being a characteristic of Mississippian culture. Although not all tribes practiced all of the traits considered Mississippian, they distinguished themselves from their ancestors by adopting some or all of these traits. The first major characteristic of Mississippian culture is the construction of large earthwork mounds. These mounds were generally square or rectangular. They were sometimes circular. Structures such as temples or burial buildings were usually built on top of these mounds. Another major characteristic of Mississippian culture is corn-based agriculture. The Mississippians used a large-scale corn-growing system that could support large populations. They also developed a vast trading network. It extended west to the Rockies, east to the ocean, north to the Great Lakes, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippians developed chiefdom and used what would later be known as the settlement hierarchy. In this hierarchical system, a major center with mounds had obvious influence or control over many lesser communities. Finally, the Mississippian culture did not have a writing system and did not build stone architecture. However, they exploited natural metal deposits. Mississippian culture is generally divided into three periods: early, middle, and late. The Early Mississippian period lasted from 1000 CE to 1200 CE. These Mississippians ...... middle of paper ...... fighting. This would give them the advantage, as the new Europeans would have no idea of ​​the fighting style of the Mississippi peoples. If this culture had survived, European colonization would have taken much longer than it originally did. The Mississippian people would no longer fear the Europeans, because of all the anger and resentment they felt towards them for the devastation and despair they caused them. It would have taken a very large and competent army to destroy Mississippian culture a second time. Works CitedCouglin, Ellen K. “The De Soto Expedtion.” http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions.nchist-twoworlds/1694"Soto, Hernando de (1500?-1542). American Eras. 1997. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2- 2536600198.html "Wikipedia" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippian_culture "Wikipeida" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto