Illinois
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Inscribed 1982
Cahokia Mounds is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. This agricultural society may have had a population of 10,000-20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150, which was equivalent to the population of many European cities at that time. It was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800-1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 hectares and included some 120 mounds. It is a striking example of a complex chiefdom society, with many satellite mound centres and numerous outlying hamlets and villages. Primary features at the site include Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas.
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Archaeological remnants of the central section of the ancient settlement that is today known as Cahokia.
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Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site lies within a 2,200-acre tract of land.
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One of the greatest cities of the world, Cahokia was larger than London was in AD 1250.
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The Mississippians who lived here were accomplished builders who erected a wide variety of structures.
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They created everything from practical homes for everyday living to monumental public works.
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Map of the Grand Plaza at Cahokia Mounds.