Friday, Dec. 21
Cultures around the world and across time have marked the winter solstice – typically occurring on Dec. 21 or 22 – as a shift in the seasons and time for ritual and celebration. With the sun at its southernmost point in the sky, people knew where they stood in nature and the cycle of time. The Native American builders of the ancient Spiro Mounds in present-day LeFlore County were no exception. The Spiro Mounds Archaeology Center will offer three special tours around the state’s only prehistoric Native American archaeology site open to the public on Friday. Tours will be at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and are about a mile in length and last about two hours. Archaeologist Dennis Peterson will explain the mounds, the people who made them, excavations and how some mounds line evenly with the solstice and equinox sunsets. Admission to the center is $1-$4. Cost to participate on the walks is $2 for children and $3 for adults. Go to www.okhistory.org for more.
