Built by the Native American Indian inhabitants of early sixteenth-century Memphis, the Desoto Mounds are named after Hernando De Soto, the famous Spanish explorer, who stormed through Memphis in his search for gold in 1541.<
These two elliptical mounds have since then, been commemorated as the last remnants of a long-forgotten Memphis and are also believed to have been used as substructures for temples, or burial mounds. In 1911, a park was built around the Desoto Mounds, which was then called the Desoto Park. Today, visitors to the Desoto Park can still view these somber relics, which stand tall on the banks of the Mississippi River and allow a unique insight into one of Memphis' first towns... which Hernando De Soto named Quiz-Quiz.
The land, on which the Desoto Park has been built, was also used as a meeting place and a battle ground, given its proximity to Fort Pickering. In fact, one of the mounds was also hollowed to use as a powder storeroom and had guns entrenched on its summit overlooking the river.
While Hernando De Soto may have moved on in his quest for the mythical Seven Cities of Cibola, the Desoto Park still attracts thousands of visitors every year who throng here to cherish a little-known aspect of Memphis' legacy of tradition and culture, while also wonder at the exquisite handiwork of the ancient 'mound-builders' of Memphis. For further information about the Desoto Park, you can refer to the website http://www.cityofmemphis.org.
The Desoto Park
Memphis, Shelby County,
Tennessee
