Cahokia---Indian Era

Before we went to Cahokia Mounds , we toured Our Lady of the Snows and went inside the chapel to see the interesting sanctuary.


Then, we headed to Cahokia Mounds---a U.S. World Heritage Site.
Inside the Interpretation Center, there were murals depicting how the community of 10,000 people lived. The open area above was a ball field.
There were also scenes depicting life between 1050 and 1200 AD.
And, scenes of how the archaeologists work the site.
This display above shows where each of the mounds is located in relation to the current roads.
"The Monks Mound is the largest prehistoric earthen construction in the Americas, containing an estimated 22 million cubic feet of earth"---all dug and carried by hand without the benefit of the wheel. I waited until people were on top of the hill before I photographed it. With over 200 steps to the top, we passed on that.
Archaelogists have determined there were three Woodhenges made with red cedar posts. One has been re-constructed and is used for special sunrise observations around the equinox and solstices.