AD 650–1400: Family farms feed a metropolis at Cahokia

At Cahokia, from 20,000 to 30,000 people of the Mississippian mound-building culture live in a 5-square-mile area east of what is now called St. Louis, Missouri. Like other mound builders, Cahokians clear fields and plant family farms within the city to supply its urban dwellers with corn, squash, and sunflowers.

The population of 20,000 to 30,000 at Cahokia (AD 650–1400) equals that of the ancient Mesopotamian city-states of Ur or Babel. Cahokia’s neighborhoods include houses, large plazas, public buildings, and more than 100 monumental earthen mounds. Suburban towns radiate outward from the city 50 miles in every direction.

Theme

Land and Water

Region

Great Plains