The Lost City In Kansas That Still Baffles Archaeologists To This Day

In modern times, it can feel like there aren't many things that still remain mysteries. The average person has access to more information on their cell phone than even the most knowledgeable scientists of a century ago. If you've got a question, you can ask Google, Siri, or Alexa and get a response within seconds. One field of study that does manage to still retain some element of the unknown is archaeology, and we've got plenty of great archaeological finds in Kansas. Our region has had residents for thousands of years, with an extensive Native American history in Kansas. You can even come across ancient arrowheads and fossils while out walking amongst our plains! One of the most intriguing archaeological finds in Kansas is the lost city of Etzanoa, Kansas. This place is fascinating and there is still so much that is unknown!

Etzanoa is in present-day Arkansas City, centered around the Arkansas River. This ancient city thrived long before European settlers came to the land, and is thought to have existed from about 1450 to 1700.

It is thought that over 20,000 Wichita people lived here at the city's height.

The town of Etzanoa was known from Spanish explorers' records dating back to the 1500s, but the location remained a mystery until 2017.

A teenager found a cannonball that had been used in a 1601 battle against the Spanish.

Archaeologists were able to determine the approximate area of the city thanks to this discovery.

At its prime, Etzanoa probably looked something like this, with grass huts and crops growing around the homes.

While artifacts have been discovered around the area, there is a lot that is still unknown about Etzanoa and the culture of the people that lived there.

There's currently a non-profit organization working to educate and conserve relics of what was once Etzanoa.

Check out this drone footage of an archaeological dig site at Etzanoa:

There will hopefully one day be a visitor's center in the location of Etzanoa, but for now, you can learn more from the Etzanoa Conservancy website.