Cahokia: North America's Ancient Megacity

🏙️ Cahokia was once one of the greatest cities in North America, housing up to 20,000 people and covering 4,000 acres.

❓ The reasons for the decline and abandonment of Cahokia by its original inhabitants remain a mystery.

🌍 Cahokia is a fascinating example of America's forgotten ancient megacity, with its size and complexity surpassing even European icons.

🏙️ Around 980 A.D., increased rainfall led to a surplus of corn in the central Mississippi Valley, which allowed for the construction of monumental structures in Cahokia.

📜 Cahokia was a pre-planned city, featuring an east-west orientation influenced by the positions of the sun and moon. The construction was systematic, with the Monk's Mound being the first structure built.

🌍 Cahokia was a multicultural city, with diverse peoples from various tribes participating voluntarily in the construction. Within 50 years, Cahokia grew to rival the size of London.

🏞️ Cahokia's Monk's Mound was the tallest man-made structure in America until 1867, impressively standing at 100 feet tall and containing 22 million cubic feet of soil.

🧱 The construction of the Monk's Mound showcased the ancient builders' knowledge of dealing with clay's instability by exposing the clay slab to water absorption and sealing it with alternating layers of sand and clay.

🏛️ Cahokia was a site of many impressive projects, rivaling any other ancient city on Earth.

🏛️ Cahokia was an ancient mega-city in the 12th century, with a grand plaza capable of holding up to ten thousand people during festivals and events.

🎉 The festivals in Cahokia were extravagant, with a procession of food and drink from far and wide, people feasting on large amounts of food, and various forms of entertainment.

⛪ Cahokia had spiritual significance, with Woodhenge serving as a place for rituals involving the motion of the sun and the moon, and the entire city potentially representing a spiritual crossroads.

💭 Daily life in Cahokia is still a mystery due to the lack of written language, but excavations have provided some insight into the city's structure and inhabitants.

🏙️ Cahokia was a bustling ancient mega-city with a grand plaza and communal courtyards where people lived in simplicity.

🌽 The city engaged in trade and imported food for storage, but also had farmland for agricultural purposes.

🏛️ Evidence suggests that Cahokia practiced human sacrifice and had a culture steeped in violence.

⚡️ Cahokia, an ancient mega-city in America, declined in the 14th century for unknown reasons.

🌍 There is evidence of drought, earthquake, and warfare in the region, but the exact cause of Cahokia's abandonment remains a mystery.

🔮 Despite being forgotten for centuries, Cahokia was later reoccupied, leading to various theories about its builders, including Vikings and Egyptians.

🏛️ Cahokia was a forgotten ancient mega-city in America, with impressive architectural structures.

🛣️ Over the years, the ruins of Cahokia were desecrated and used for various purposes, including being a road track.

🔍 The discovery and preservation of Cahokia's heritage started with archaeological surveys during the construction of interstate highways.

🌎 Cahokia is now recognized as an important historical site, but it remains relatively unknown to the general public.

✨ Visiting Cahokia allows one to witness the impressive architectural works of an ancient advanced society.

:mega: Cahokia was a massive ancient city in North America.

:earth_americas: It thrived between the 11th and 14th centuries, with a population of around 20,000.

:art: The city had mounds, plazas, and a sophisticated trade network.