Archaeologists working in the Ozark Plateau have uncovered a series of previously unknown ceremonial plazas aligned with the spring equinox. These sites feature massive post-holes that once held totem-like structures topped with raptor imagery, suggesting a complex "Eagle-Spirit" festival celebrated by Mississippian cultures over a millennium ago.
Evidence of high-status feasting, including rare shell-tempered pottery and migratory bird remains, indicates that these gatherings brought together distant communities for multi-day rituals focused on sky deities and celestial cycles. The discovery highlights the sophisticated astronomical knowledge and inter-regional cooperation of ancient North American societies.