Exploring our community: Cahokia Mounds

To celebrate Columbus day we thought we'd do something educational. 

Though, this has nothing to do with Columbus, we did converse about how this Native American community was thriving, and then fizzled out roughly two hundred years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. 

I had never heard about this place. 

Ever. 

*Begin instructional lecture*

The Cahokia Mounds are a place where the largest ancient community north of Mexico City is, and is preserved. The Native American's built mounds of different shapes and sizes and each  had a different job. The rounded mounds were burial grounds. The pointed mounds were markers of the cities boundaries, etc.  The most famous mound, Monk Mound, is huge and it's suspected that the Chief lived in a large building at the top of the mound and there was probably several religious buildings as well. Archaeologists venture to say that it took roughly 170 years to build the Monk Mound. 

This major community thrived from roughly 7-900 AD until 1200 AD. At the time it was more populated than London and was home to more than 20,000 people. 

Okay teacher, do I get an "A" on my report? 

First we mosied our way around the museum and our favorite part was the wax, life like, scenes. 

Scott was uncomfortable at all the bare chested - life like - women and suggested that they really don't know if the women didn't wear clothes and should have erred on the side of modesty. 

{reason # 6,043 why I love him}

 It was a glorious day for a walk.

That's the Monk Mound... from way far away. 

This is me where I begin to think,

"I already almost died on my run this morning. I wasn't prepared for all these stairs. Ay crap."

I almost didn't make it to the top and Henry had to pull me up the last three stairs. It was quite a dramatic scene. 

 There was an awesome view of St. Louis from the top:

As you can see, Autumn is just barely beginning to make it's mark here in Illinois. 

 I'm ready for crisp temperatures, blankets, jackets, boots, and comfort food!

Our trip to the Cahokia Mounds was great. It's right off of both I-64 and I-70, so if you're driving through I definitely recommend the stop. It's free!