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We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the museum displays at the Interpretive Center and spent much longer than we had anticipated. Our interesting in and respect for the prehistoric cultures that once dominated this land grew profoundly through our studies there. The first known inhabitants of Cahokia were the Indians of the Late Woodland culture around 700-900 A.D. A more advanced society, the Mississippian culture, which had 20,000 residents at its peak, had disappeared by 1400, probably due to climatic changes that affected their food supply. Fortunately, archaeologists have discovered this lost civilization and preserved it for us. |
"Cahokia
Mounds State Historic and World Heritage Site is a 2,200-acre site
preserving the central section of the largest prehistoric Indian city
north of Mexico. The site's 65 man-made earthen mounds, wooden sun
calendar, and recently completed Interpretive Center present a coherent
account of the sophisticated culture whose city was centered here."
(from site brochure)) "This
picture shows the mounds from a helicopter's point of view. I learned
that it if a class of 30 students emptied 8 baskets a day, it would take
them 197 YEARS to build Monks Mound (the biggest one)! The baskets would
have to hold 1.5 cubic feet of dirt, and it would take 14,666,666,666
baskets!"--Harrison |
Cahokia
: City of the Sun : Prehistoric Urban Center in the American Bottom
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) ) "Monks
Mound is the biggest thing prehistoric people have made north of Mexico.
It was used about 800 years ago. There were lots of stairs to climb that
weren't there 800 years ago. If I was the chief, I would feel as if I
could see the whole world from the top of the mound."--Amanda |
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) "Woodhenge
is the place where the people of Cahokia kept track of the seasons. Cahokia
is sometimes called 'City of the Sun'. New poles were placed in the same
places the ancient inhabitants put theirs. They could tell when there
was an equinox or solstice coming soon. We were there on the day of the
spring equinox to see if we could see the sun line up with the poles,
but it was a very cloudy day."--Harrison |
Cahokia
: Domination and Ideology in the Mississippian World |
) ) "It
was cool to see what an ancient Indian village might have looked like.
There was a girl chasing her brother who had stolen her doll. Kids were
probably a lot like us, even back then."--Amanda |
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Archaeologists
Dig for Clues |
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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In
Small Things Forgotten : An Archaeology of Early American Life
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