Citico (Tellico archaeological site)
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Citico
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Citico ("Settacoo") on Henry Timberlake's 1762 "Draught of the Cherokee Country"
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| Location | Monroe County, Tennessee |
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| Nearest city | Vonore |
| Coordinates | 35°32′56″N 84°5′56″W / 35.54889°N 84.09889°WCoordinates: 35°32′56″N 84°5′56″W / 35.54889°N 84.09889°W |
| Built | 1000–1500 CE |
| NRHP Reference # | 78002614 |
| Added to NRHP | 1978 |
Citico (also "Settaco", "Sitiku", and similar variations) is a prehistoric and historic Native American site in Monroe County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The site's namesake Cherokee village was the largest of the Overhill towns, housing an estimated population of 1,000 by the mid-18th century. The Mississippian village that preceded the site's Cherokee occupation is believed to have been the village of "Satapo" visited by the Juan Pardo expedition in 1567.
The Citico site is now submerged by the Tellico Lake impoundment of the Little Tennessee River, created by the completion of Tellico Dam at the mouth of the river in 1979. The modern community of Citico Beach has developed along the shoreline above the ancient site. The lake is managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Tellico Lake covers the lower 33 miles (53 km) of the Little Tennessee River, which flows down from the mountains to the south and traverses parts of Blount, Monroe, and Loudon counties before emptying into the Tennessee River near Lenoir City. The Citico site was situated along the southwest bank of the river immediately below the river's confluence with Citico Creek, which empties into the river approximately 31 miles (50 km) upstream from the river's mouth. Citico is located in an area where the Great Smoky Mountains and the Unicoi Mountains give way to the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province.
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