This Parks Visit
State of Illinois
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the first pre-Columbian location that I remember visiting. My first experience at the park took place while I was still a youth. I lacked understanding of the significance or the amount of energy it took to construct the mounds. Even as an adult, it’s hard to comprehend the organized effort required to construct them.
It is unclear how the Cahokia Mounds remain a state historic site. Other cultural and historic sites that are equally as significant as Cahokia are designated as national monuments in the southwest. Illinois representatives have and continue to lobby for the site to be a national monument, and some day soon it might become one.
Of all my Cahokia Mounds visits, the most enjoyable have taken place during the summer. I would like to visit the location again during the summer solstice and witness the sun rise at Woodhenge. Though my other visits have been equally inspiring, being rained on during the spring and frozen during the winter was not enjoyable.
The museum at Cahokia is very impressive. Among the many artifacts housed in the museum are a sandstone tablet and a dug-out canoe. Other exhibits at the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center include lifesize figures completing everyday life tasks for that time period. The amount of detail and the quality of the displays at the museum are not what you find at other museums.
Brief History of the Mississippian Culture at Cahokia
Located in present-day Collinsville, Illinois, is Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. The Cahokia prehistoric site is considered the most significant and prominent example of a cultural, religious, and economic center within Mississippian culture.
The people that occupied this once great matropolous area are a part of what we today refer to as the Mississippian culture. Cahokia was occupied in 700 CE, during the late Woodland period, and continued to develop as the Mississippian culture flourished. At its peak between 1000 and 1350, Cahokia’s mounds, residences, and agricultural fields encompassed more than 4,000 acres. Scholars estimate that the population residing within the Cahokia site itself varied from 10,000 to 20,000 individuals.
Brief History of the Mounds at Cahokia
This historic site boasts the largest indigenous earthen structure and ranks among the most intricate archaeological sites north of the Mexican border.
The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site conserves 70 out of the original 120 earthen mounds built by ancient Native American people. These mounds exhibit a diverse range of shapes, encompassing platform, ridgetop, and conical varieties. The function of the mounds includes, but is not limited to, burial and ceremonial purposes.
Of the remaining mounds, the largest is Monks Mound. The mound ascends from the former plaza area, incorporating four tiers designed for religious ceremonies and the residences of tribal leaders. Monks Mound is the largest man-made earthen mound north of Mexico.
Monks Mound is about 30 meters high, 291 meters long, and 236 meters wide. The base of the mound is equivalent in size to the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza. While Monks Mound stands at less than a quarter of the height of the Great Pyramid at Giza, it exceeds it by more than twice the volume.
Other Points of Interest at Cahokia
During your Cahokia Mounds visit, information plaques can be found in the park. One such plaque informs visitors that a defensive structure was added sometime around 1150 CE. It included thousands of logs ranging in size from fourteen to twenty feet in length. They were partially buried, four to five feet deep, and stood to create a ten to fifteen-foot-tall wall. The defensive perimeter included bastions for warriors to defend from. This two-mile-long stockade surrounded the Grand Plaza and several mounds, not limited to Monks Mound.
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, like so many other prehistoric sites, included a solar calendar. The size, diameter, and number of posts involved in the creation of Woodhenge changed over the time the area was inhabited. This calendar included as many as 60 posts at one time and as few as 13. It aided in the identification of the first days of winter and summer, as well as the spring and fall equinoxes. Only a few posts were necessary to identify the seasonal markers. It’s unclear what the purpose of the other post is other than forming a circle.
More Information for Your Cahokia Mounds Visit
If you found this article interesting, explore my other visits to state parks or national parks in Illinois. You can also discover more articles on Indigenous Peoples of North America and UNESCO World Heritage Sites I’ve covered.
For more information about Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, its days and hours of operation, as well as fees, visit cahokiamounds.org. Also, enjoyillinois.com for other information that might improve your Cahokia Mounds visit.