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Cahokia: America’s Forgotten Ancient Mega-City

Geographics

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Source/Further reading:

World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/cahokia/ 

Britannica, overview:  https://www.britannica.com/place/Caho...

Guardian, Lost Cities: Cahokia: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/20...

Nat Geo, America’s Forgotten City: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/ma...

Nat Geo, why was Cahokia abandoned? https://www.nationalgeographic.com/en...

BBC, The US’s lost ancient megacity: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20...

NPR, Climactic effects on Cahokia: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...

Woodhenge: https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/20...

Cahokia visitor numbers: https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel...

20 Comments

@geographicstravel Creator 5 years ago Pinned

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@spirit1965 4 years ago

I live about 30 miles from Cahokia mounds. There are literally hundreds of mounds in this part of Illinois along the rivers and creeks. It should be noted that Cahokia mounds still hosts dozens of events ranging from equinox and solstice celebrations to Native American craft shows and drum circles.

@WayToVibe 5 years ago

As someone who's walked up those mounds, you have no idea the feeling that comes over you. It goes from being a spot of dirt to something really fast. On the way up my group was chatting but gradually fell silent as we climbed. At the top, there were no words. We just took it in. Here, there had been people. Here, they built something amazing. Here, they left it almost like a gift for the world to rediscover someday. There's no describing it until you experience it for yourself.

@kimhohlmayer7018 5 years ago

It isn’t just the architecture that’s impressive at Cahokia. The funerary and ritual objects unearthed there and in a chain of Mississippian settlements southward are fascinating. They had a rich iconography.

@Hepyrian 5 years ago

I took a Native American Art class in college that made everyone swear that if they were in STL for any reason they would find the time to visit Cahokia. Being from STL myself, it’s an incredible place. A lot of people go there as kids and just see hills, but to go with the understanding that this is both the largest city of its time, and one of the only things in America that is from before European contact, it’s truly remarkable.

@leehaseley2164 5 years ago

Best Simonism ever" makes Burning Man look like a bunch of wankers in a sandpit"!

@OldieBugger 5 years ago

"The world's worst houseguests" - I'll use that later, if you don't mind.

@BrianBDyin 5 years ago

My dad is an archaeologist, and worked closely with the Cahokia Mounds Museum over the years. I've walked up that thing more times than I can count. Still, I heard a lot in this video that I never knew! Either dad never told me, or I just wasn't listening. Likely, the latter.

@flamencoprof 5 years ago

Considering we are dealing with the flood-plain of the Mississippi, is it unreasonable to imagine the mound building began as a way of making residential sites permanent throughout the year, even during the flood season?

@johnthomas2970 5 years ago

YO I’m from Australia and remember doing an assignment on the Cahokian Mound Builders through the Tournament of the Minds Competition. Each week we got clues and had to figure out information about the Cahokians. I remember it being really difficult to find information about them, so thank you for covering this topic! ❤️

@mikecoker4007 5 years ago

I've lived in St. Louis for 22 years. I can count on one hand how many times I've heard anyone talk about this place, and half of them are from my archeologist aunt that helped study it. Apparently, everyone takes a grade school field trip out there at some point and then just wipes the place from their memory

@FaviMarti 5 years ago

Didn’t realize this is just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. I’ll have to take a road trip soon.

@johnstevenson9956 5 years ago

I grew up just north of it, and it still amazes me that my schools never once mentioned it. As we have no idea why it was abandoned, I can't help thinking of so many contemporary Illinois towns that dried up and were abandoned. A highway must have bypassed it.

@christopherstory514 5 years ago

This is why St. Louis is called "Mound City."

@christyrowe4497 5 years ago

Sometimes being less visited is safer for the site. Look at the mess that happens at Yellowstone and Yosemite. I'm not saying it shouldn't be well known but there is a slight advantage to not being overcrowded.

@CooperE. 5 years ago

I have been to Cahokia twice and I can say from experience that the site is absolutely massive and all you can think about is how in the world they built it.

@HistoryOfRevolutions 5 years ago

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"

- Michelangelo

@youfoundbrown2988 5 years ago (edited)

Hey I’ve read a fiction book about a Roman Empire that never fell and found North America and Cahokia instead. And it’s so cool I can finally put more of a visual to this book. It’s called “ Clash of eagles “