“I guide my people to the future by showing them the way they came,” says Thunder Rock, Trail Talker. His gentle voice brings to life the stories of Chief Acorn Fox and Spanish navigator, Juan Álvarez de Rajano, as they were drawn into conflicts with aggressive neighbors like Tuscaloosa, and ultimately, the rampaging Conquistadors. A complex society developed in the southeastern United States before European explorers arrived. When the indigenous peoples developed farming techniques, their nomadic lifestyles gave way to ever-expanding permanent communities. Corn became a stabilizing crop. Specialized crafts developed, like pottery making and harvesting fish in weir-enclosed pools. Extensive trade networks spanned the long arc of land bordering the Gulf of Mexico and northward along the rivers. This Mississippian woodland culture built massive earthen burial mounds that mimicked Mexico’s stone pyramids. One of the best-preserved examples of these sites is Moundville in west-central Alabama, an archetype for the villages in this story. Itinerant oral historians collected stories and passed on their legends and traditions as they traveled. They instructed young children in the history of their tribes and entertained families at festival gatherings. Their stories recalled the actions of notable ancestors, brave heroes, and retold tales of hardships and successes.