Studies (which I don’t have available offhand) have indicated that the American South was completely groomed when the Europeans first landed on the continent. In other words, there were forests of tall trees with grasslands and crops underneath them, like a gigantic parkland with no underbrush. This came from regular burnings of the underbrush by the natives, both to clear the brush and regularly remineralize the soil from the ash of the burned brush. In addition, certain pigments needed to create “Mayan Blue” in what is not Mexico can only be traced to the American South, so the Mayans were up there, too. And of course there are many unearthed and still buried mound cities in the American South. All in all, the place was VERY different in the past, than people normally think of it.
Correction: ...in what is NOW Mexico...
The past ain’t what it used to be.
...and even in West Virginia as early as 2,000 years ago.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Creek_Mound