Toltec Mounds State Park Renamed Plum Bayou

One of the mounds at Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park, formerly known as Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park.

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park has been renamed Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park to recognize the actual builders of the earthen structures, the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism announced.

Many mound sites in the southeast U.S. were thought to have been built by the Toltecs of Mexico, but archaeologist have proven that the mounds were built by ancestors of Native Americans who lived in the region. 

Plum Bayou culture was named for a stream near today’s park location.

“The name ‘Toltec Mounds’ has always been a misnomer,” Shea Lewis, director of Arkansas State Park, said in a news release. “Even though archeologists have proven that the Toltecs of Mexico did not build these mounds, they continued to be known as the Toltec Mounds.

“The park has long noted the misidentification in its interpretive materials, but this name change will help provide a better understanding of the people who lived here and the importance of their culture.”

Signage depicting the park’s new name will be phased in over the next few months.

A public forum on the name change was held in April. The Parks Department said it also consulted the Arkansas Archeological Survey, representatives of the Quapaw Nation and other stakeholders.