Choices And Changes: 13th Century Revitalization Of Cahokia, Native North America’s First City

Choices And Changes: 13th Century Revitalization Of Cahokia, Native North America’s First City

AIA Society: Westchester
Lecturer: Melissa Baltus

After more than a century of urban occupation, the city of Cahokia experienced a series of rapid material transformations that appear to be a deliberate attempt to change Cahokian politics. These changes transpired in locally unique yet regionally related ways at Cahokia and its surrounding settlements. There are two important aspects of change that took place during this mid-point of Cahokia’s existence: 1) the intentional termination of specific building and pottery types; and 2) the return to certain pre-Cahokian practices, including decentralized, local events. I’ll explore these transformations at the city in relation to excavations at a related mound site that was built and occupied subsequent to these major changes.

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