Cahokia: City of the Sun (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Cahokia: City of the Sun (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Where: Collinsville, Missouri

Who: The Mississippians (Native American Indians)

What: Cahokia was the center of Mississippian Indian culture for 300 hundred years from AD 900 – 1200.

When: Cahokia was first inhabited @ AD 700 by prehistoric Indians of the Late Woodland Culture. Around AD 800 another culture emerged called Mississippian, lasting until @ AD 1400. At its height, @ 1150 AD, Cahokia was one of the great urban centers in the world with a population of 20,000 inhabitants (larger than London at that time and until 1800 no city in the US was as large as Cahokia at its height).

Why: Cahokia is the largest archaeological site north of Mexico and is a World Heritage Site due to its important cultural significance in the prehistory of North America. The Mississippians developed an agricultural system with corn, squash and several other starchy seed plants. Thus stable food base, combined with the hunting, fishing and gathering of wild foods, enabled them to develop a complex, planned urban community with a highly specialized social, political, and religious organization. Cahokia became the dominant regional center for the Mississippian Indian culture.

How: Fly into St. Louis, Missouri and hire a car for the short 30 minute drive to Collinsville. Note: Cahokia is NOT in the town of Cahokia. It is in Collinsville.

Key Ruler: No individual rulers’ names are known but Cahokia was governed by a theocratic chieftainship; or by a leader who claimed divine power. Called the “Great Sun”, he was thought to be the brother of the sun and sat at the top of the well defined social structure. The Great Sun, his relatives and associates formed the elite class. These sub chieftains exercised control over heads of family clans who in turn directed the general population.

Key Things to See: Start at the modern Interpretive Center which has wonderful visual exhibits (beautiful murals and even some life sized models) coupled with subtle Native American music to enhance the experience. In the lobby, a large scale model of the site offers the location of principal known features as well as a panoramic view of the immense Monks Mound across the site from the Grand Plaza. The multi-media show at the Orientation Theatre is a must. The dominant and most famous feature of Cahokia is Monks Mound, named for the French Trappist monks who lived nearby on the mound in the early 1800’s. Situated in the city’s center, the mound covers 14 acres and rose in four terraces to 100 feet, making it the largest prehistoric earthen structure in the Western Hemisphere. It is a flat topped, or truncated pyramid and a massive ceremonial structure, a temple or palace, stood on the highest terrace. Monks Mound was enlarged several times over a period of 300 years (AD 900-1200), than modified slightly in AD 1300. It is estimated to contain 22 million cubic feet of earth dug with stone tools and carried in baskets on worker’s backs to the site. The site is six square miles and contains another 120 known mounds. The city originally had a wooden fence around it for protection. Another interesting feature is Woodhenge, a large circle of wooden posts which served as an astronomical calendar used for marking seasons and the planting of crops. The site is approximately six square miles and there are 120 known mounds.

Unfortunately, a two lane highway cuts through the Great Plaza, breaking the natural layout of the site. One thing is clear, the Mississippians who built Cahokia respected nature and sought to live in harmony with their natural surroundings. We could learn a few lessons from them in laying out our modern urban complexes. The park-like site is lush and well maintained. Take your time and explore as much as you can.