More than 1,200 years ago, a group of ancestral Caddo built a village and ceremonial center here. Today, three earthen mounds, still considered sacred to Caddo people, rise from the lush Piney Woods landscape. Learn how the Caddo lived on the land through exhibits and programs.

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Location

1649 State Hwy. 21 West
Alto, TX 75925
936-858-3218
Contact us
See map

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Hours

Tuesday to Sunday
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m 

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Tickets

Adult $5
Senior/Veteran/Teacher/First Responder $3
Child (6-17) $2
Child (5 and under) Free
Family (2 adults & 1 child) $8, each additional child $1

Reenactors

Plan Your Visit

Caddo Mounds State Historic Site is a prehistoric village and ceremonial center located on the original El Camino Real de los Tejas.

Reenactors

Plan a Field Trip

Guided field trips are scheduled for groups of 15 or more; not counting underaged siblings or chaperones.

Caddo statue

Caddo Mounds History

The Caddo selected this site for a permanent settlement about A.D. 800.

Caddo Mounds in the Blog

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The Grass of Home

Grass houses at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site were usually occupied by one or two families. Building them was an effort that involved the whole town. 

A Trail Through Texas History: El Camino Real de los Tejas

El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail was designated as part of the National Trails System by the U.S. Congress in 2004, but its story started far earlier, as a series of routes laid by Indigenous Texans and later followed by Spanish colonists, French explorers, Anglo-American settlers, and enslaved people seeking freedom.

Historic Road Trip: Nacogdoches and San Augustine

Known as the “Oldest Town in Texas,” Nacogdoches takes immense pride in its history. In fact, the entire downtown is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Nacogdoches honors its heritage through a statue of the city’s founder, Gil Y’Barbo, and numerous historical museums, each conserving a different part of the town’s 241-year legacy. In reality, its settlement is much older—Caddo Indians arrived in this area 10,000 years prior to the city’s establishment.