A joint team from the University of Georgia and the Muscogee Nation has completed the mapping of a previously unknown ceremonial plaza at the Etowah Indian Mounds site. The plaza, which dates back to approximately 1200 CE, features a sophisticated drainage system and specialized hearths used for the Green Corn Ceremony (Busk), a festival of renewal and forgiveness still practiced by Southeastern Indigenous tribes today.
Soil samples taken from the central hearths revealed residues of Ilex vomitoria (Yaupon Holly), used to create the 'Black Drink' for purification rituals. The discovery of these ceremonial components suggests that the festival's structure and its emphasis on communal purification have remained remarkably consistent for over 800 years.