Cahokia Mounds, Collinsville,
Illinois
Art History Teacher on Monks Mound, May 2004
Monks Mound covers approximately 15 acres and is the largest earthen
mound constructed in the New World. Made entirely from earth, this
monument, which rises 100 feet, required intensive labor by the Native
Americans who created it. Part of a large urban center measuring about
six miles, Monks Mound overlooks a large plaza surrounded by smaller
mounds, including twin mounds at the opposite end of the plaza.
Created by Indians in the Mississippian culture, Monks Mound, which
towered above all other mounds at this site, is believed to be the site
where the ruler had his house built and where he performed ceremonies.
By climbing to the top of Monks Mound and looking down on the plaza
below, it is easy to see how this elevated location kept the
ruler remote from his people and enhanced his power. For this piece of
real estate, location and height determined status.
Cahokia flourished for about two centuries, from around 1100 to
1300 A.D., then mysteriously declines. When European arrive about
three centuries later, they find the mounds overgrown with vegetation.