The Mound Landscape Of Cahokia, Illinois, USA

A few miles east of St Louis and the Mississippi River lies the largest pre- Columbian urban complex north of Mexico. Cahokia’s sprawling complex of mounds, homes, and farmland possibly had a population as high as 20,000 between 1000 and 1350 AD.

The central, dominating structure here is Monks Mound – excavations on its summit revealed the remains of a large building which may have been a temple or the residence of Cahokia’s leader.

Mound 72, actually a composite of smaller mounds, is a spectacular example. Archaeologists excavated more than 250 skeletons here.

Investigations on the remains of a series of circles of wooden posts have demonstrated that one structure ( sometimes called Woodhenge), was aligned with the sun’s movement and may have served as a calendar.