Cahokia Mounds

Place: Cahokia Settlement - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Weather: Sunny 46/62F
Route: From Milwaukee 360 miles SSW - I94 to I55

Peak time period: 1050-1150 CE
Peak population: 10,000-20,000 (similar to London at that time)
Significance: Largest settlement north of Mexico prior to Columbus.  Evidence of trade from places as far as Florida to the south and Wisconsin to the north.
Further reading: "Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi" by Timothy Pauketat
Websites:
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Cahokia Mounds Museum Society
Illinois Department of Natural Resources






Video:
Produced by Cahokia Mounds Museum - helps you to get a sense of the scale of the site.

Photos:

Artist rendering of how Cahokia appeared at its height from Illinois DNR website.

The large "Monk mound" in present day - photo from The Guardian