c. 1050–1350 CEReputable sourceWell documented
Cahokia, North America's First City
On the timeline · around c. 1050–1350 CE ·
What happened
Across the Mississippi from present-day St. Louis, the Mississippian people built Cahokia, the largest city in North America north of Mexico. At its peak around 1100 it covered several square miles with some 120 earthen mounds — the greatest, Monks Mound, larger at its base than the Great Pyramid — and a population of perhaps 15,000–20,000, rivaling contemporary London.
Why it matters
Cahokia shows that a large, complex urban civilization thrived in the American heartland long before Europeans arrived. Its rise and mysterious decline are among the most important stories in the deep history of the continent.