At its peak around 1100 CE, the city of Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, may have housed a population rivaling or exceeding contemporary London, built by Mississippian culture communities around a complex of massive earthen mounds.
Background
The city's central feature, Monks Mound, is the largest pre-Columbian earthwork north of Mexico, built up in stages using an estimated millions of basket-loads of soil carried by hand.
“A city that may have outsized London at the time now leaves behind mostly earthen mounds and unanswered questions.”
The Key Events
Cahokia functioned as a major political, religious, and trade center for the broader Mississippian cultural network, with goods and influence reaching communities across a wide area of eastern North America.
Legacy and Lasting Impact
The city's population declined sharply by the 14th century, for reasons researchers still debate, including environmental strain and political change. The site is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major focus of North American archaeology.
- Monks Mound is the largest pre-Columbian earthwork north of Mexico.
- Cahokia's population at its peak is estimated at 10,000 to over 20,000 people.
- The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in present-day Illinois.
References & Further Reading
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
- Timothy Pauketat, *Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi*
- Britannica, entry on Cahokia
- Smithsonian Magazine, feature on Cahokia's rise and decline
