One of the greatest cities of North America, Cahokia was larger than London and Paris were in AD 1250, the largest prehistoric Native American sites north of Mexico. The complex included at least 120 mounds (80 remaining) housing as many as 20,000 people at its peak. The largest mound built with over 22 million cubic feet of earth, rises over 100 feet. The Mississippians who lived here were accomplished builders who erected a wide variety of structures from practical homes for everyday living to monumental public buildings for chiefs and temples for spiritual leaders and ceremonies. The central plaza was enclosed with a wooden wall or stockade, housing the most important mounds for the more elite, a ball field and neighborhoods of trades people. They even had circular sun calendars called Woodhenge.
The surrounding area included fields of maze (corn) squash, potatoes and other food cultivated by the local population.
There is much speculation on why this area became populated so fast but one thing for sure, it sits at the confluence of three major water ways, the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois, making this area a trade center for people as far north as Minnesota, as far south as the gulf and extreme distances east and west. As much speculation exists around the reasons the city was abandoned by the mid 14th century. Over population might have depleted resources, many of the remains found showed signs of starvation. Diseases or political unrest could have been a contributing factor, as well as climate change, or all of the above, who knows?
Without question, this was a significant cultural location existing long before any Europeans showed up, and most of us have never heard of the place or the people.
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