The story of a place
An earthen city that changes the familiar map of ancient North America.
Cahokia's mounds preserve evidence of a major urban and ceremonial centre near the Mississippi. Their scale becomes clearer when the wider site plan is understood, rather than judging each grassy rise in isolation.
The interpretation matters as much as the view. Archaeological evidence connects the surviving landforms with settlement, exchange and social organisation across a broad region.
The essential experience
Make time for this.
Combine the available interpretation with a walk that reveals the relationship between major mounds and open spaces.
Explore the highlights
Look a little closer.
Look across Cahokia’s earthen mounds to imagine the layout of the ancient city.
Mound profiles
Compare different shapes and purposes.
Plazas
Notice the importance of open areas between monuments.
Regional setting
Consider the river network beyond the visible site.
For the curious reader
History, landscape
and context.
The Cahokia Mounds (also simply known as Cahokia) (11 MS 2) is the site of a Native American city (which existed c. 1050–1350 AD) directly across the Mississippi River from present-day St. Louis. The state archaeology park lies in south-western Illinois between East St. Cahokia was the largest and most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture, which developed advanced societies across much of what is now the Central and the Southeastern United States, beginning around 1000 AD. Today, the Cahokia Mounds are considered to be the largest and most complex archaeological site north of the great pre-Columbian cities in Mexico.
Background reading: an abridged extract from Cahokia, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened for this guide. Retrieved 22 September 2026. Source revision ↗.
Turn curiosity into a visit
Plan your visit.
- Physical demands
- Open-ground walking and a substantial stair ascent if climbing Monks Mound.
- The practical detail
- A closed interpretive building can materially change the visit; confirm before travelling.
Before you set off.
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A place in the world
Find your bearings.
Select the pin to open a detailed map. Use Closer look to see the surrounding region. Drag to move a zoomed map.
Map: Natural EarthA closer view.
Load the local map to explore the surrounding area. Map tiles require an internet connection.
- 1CahokiaOpen directions ↗ · Location reference ↗
A sense of place
In pictures.
Keep looking.
10 photographs, with full-size views and individual credits.
Go a little further
Sources & further reading.
The UNESCO link names the specific inscribed property. A broad entry in this project can extend beyond that property’s boundaries.
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