Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 39.288 W 090° 03.532
15S E 755935 N 4282575
Cahokia Mounds near St Louis is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico.
Waymark Code: WM7ZA
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 02/23/2006
Views: 98
The Cahokia Mounds area was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 ha 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. This agricultural society may have had a population of 10–20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150. Primary features at the site include Monks Mound (N38 39.602 W090 03.730), the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 ha and standing 30 m high. The coorinates given are for the front of the visitors center.