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What happened to the Cahokia?
In a matter of decades, it became the continent’s largest population center north of Mexico, with perhaps 15,000 people in the city proper and twice as many people in surrounding areas. A couple centuries after its birth it went into decline, and by 1400 it was deserted.
Where did the Cahokia tribe live?
This culture arose in the Mississippi Valley, in what is now Illinois, about 700 A.D. and withered away about a century before Columbus reached America. The ancient civilization’s massive remains stand as one of the best-kept archaeological secrets in the country. Welcome to the city of Cahokia, population 15,000.
When did the Cahokia Tribe end?
Before the end of the 14th century, the archaeological record suggests Cahokia and the other city-states were completely abandoned.
Why did Cahokia build mounds?
Conical and ridge-top mounds were also constructed for use as burial locations or marking important locations. At the center of the historical site is the largest earthwork called Monks Mound. At one hundred feet, it is the largest prehistoric earthen mound in North America.
What ended the Mississippian civilization?
The largest Mississippian sites were abandoned or in decline by 1450. Archaeologists do not know why so many of the largest sites were abandoned, but prolonged drought, crop failures, and warfare are possible causes.
How did the Cahokia empire fall?
Cahokia was abandoned during the 13th and 14th centuries. Although Cahokia’s demise has been attributed to flooding, a new study suggests that drought-like conditions may have been to blame. The researchers collected sediment from the bottom of Horseshoe Lake, which lies north of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
Why did the Cahokia people leave their city?
Although Cahokia must have had a complex culture to maintain a sizable city and raise monuments that stand a millenium later, no one knows whether the mystery people’s culture influenced surrounding cultures or simply stood alone. The causes of the culture’s demise are better understood, although researchers argue where its people went.
Where did the Cahokia people live in Mississippi?
Cahokia became the most important center for the people known today as Mississippians. Their settlements ranged across what is now the Midwest, Eastern, and Southeastern United States.
What kind of people lived in Cahokia Mounds?
Scientific tests conducted on teeth discovered in the area have indicated that Cahokia’s population was a mix of people from the Natchez, the Pensacola, the Choctaw, and the Ofo tribes of indigenous peoples. They also indicated that a third of them were “not from Cahokia, but somewhere else.
When did Cahokia become a major religious center?
Despite becoming a major religious hub and population center around 1050 CE, Cahokia was largely abandoned by 1350, and no one knows what caused it. Neither European conquest nor war or disease can be blamed for this ancient city’s downfall.