Page "Aztalan State Park" Paragraph 6

Most of the residents lived in circular or rectangular houses which they built between the river and the Eastern secondary wall.

The placement of the structures suggests that the layout was planned.

The dwellings were built around a central ceremonial plaza likely used for rituals and public gatherings, as has been found at other similar locations.

Posts for the house frames were either placed in individual holes, or in a trench dug slightly narrower than the posts.

Walls were completed with wattle and daub, a plaster mixture of grass and clay, and the roof covered with bark or thatch.

The doorway usually faced south to keep out the winter's north winds.

Inside, a single family slept on pole-frame beds, covered with tamarack boughs, deer skins, and furs.

Sometimes a fire was kept in the middle of the house and a hole in the roof let out the smoke.

Pits dug in the earthen floor of the house held stored foods such as corn, nuts, and seeds in woven bags.

Perishable foods like meat were probably stored outside prior to cooking.

Pits outside were also used for garbage and community resources.