Know why

The nuggets would be crafted into objects—some sacred objects, others diplomatic gifts—that have been found at other Mississippian sites across the continent.

As many as mounds used to rise above the Cahokia landscape. The city itself was organized on a grid that aligned with astronomical movements of the sun and moon. Plazas, houses, public buildings, the mounds, and connecting infrastructure were all oriented according to this heavenly plan.

Flat-top mounds generally had some kind of building on top, while round-top mounds were for burials. Named for French monks who once lived nearby, Monks Mound is the largest of all the structures.

It covers about 14 acres and stands about feet tall. Archaeologists estimate that it took 22 million cubic feet of earth to build Monks Mound. Analysis of the soils found that the earth came from local pits. It was excavated with stone tools and then transported in baskets. As many as 15, people lived in Cahokia at its peak, some estimate, but by the city was deserted. By the s it was abandoned. The American Bottom and substantial parts of the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys had become so depopulated they are referred to as the Vacant Quarter.

Historians note that the city grew to prominence during an especially favorable climate phase and began shrinking around the time the climate became cooler, drier, and less predictable. For an agricultural community dependent on regular crop yields, the changing conditions could have been anything from stressful to catastrophic.

Why was the ancient city of Cahokia abandoned? New clues rule out one theory. Furthermore, dense populations create environmental problems—pollution, disease, diminished resources—that can be difficult to counter and that have brought down many societies.

One of the most popular explanations is the so-called deforestation hypothesis. Fewer trees meant more erosion, more flooding , and degraded harvests. Their hypothesis found wide acceptance among Cahokia scholars. In spring geoarchaeologist Caitlin Rankin turned that idea on its head. As scholars look to other explanations, some are examining if increased conflict among different groups caused the city to decline. Others are looking to see if a major drought in the region could have led the Cahokia people to seek more fertile lands and leave their city behind.

All rights reserved. History Magazine Feature. This American Indian metropolis was mysteriously abandoned. Archaeologists want to know why. Built from an estimated 22 million cubic feet of earth and standing about feet high, Monks Mound is the tallest structure at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Grand civilization. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Urban landscape A palisade protecting Cahokia and its many mounds and dwellings is shown in its heydey.

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