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When was Aztalan first discovered?

Aztalan was first discovered by Europeans in the fall of 1835 by early Wisconsin Territory settler Timothy Johnson of Watertown. Upon hearing stories of the site, Judge Nathaniel Hyer, a Milwaukee settler, visited. His description, the first at-length published account of Aztalan, appeared in the Milwaukee Advertiser, Volume One, Number 29 on Saturday, February 25th, 1837. In this account, Judge Hyer also produced the first rudimentary map of the site.

The Osceola Site

To date, 13 underwater archaeological sites have been found and all but one are in the northern half of the lake. Evidence of ancient agricultural terraces is evident on the hills of the northern and southern shores of Lake Amatitlán, and several Maya archaeological sites have been identified on the shores as well. The order and type of ceramic styles found at a site can provide clues to its age.

Salvage Archaeology

During the 1850s, Swiss lake levels hit a 200-year record low, which revealed the remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements.

This discovery created a surge of interest in the Swiss Neolithic now known as, “Pfahlbaufieber” (“Pile Dwelling Fever”). Local residents, called “Pfahlbaufischer” (“pile-dwelling fishers”), sought to capitalize on the popularity of these new discoveries by “fishing” cultural remains out of the shallow waters from boats using long poles.