Cahokia is one of the most unique historical sites to visit in the United States, and luckily for us we can find it in our own backyard. Cahokia is a mysterious place we still have not completely figured out. Researchers continue to discover new artifact and mounds yearly. Cahokia was based around an agriculture society that lead to a ruling top to bottom social hierarchy. From my personal experience at Cahokia, I believe it is one of greatest mysteries left unsolved. Cahokia is most famous for its three different types of mounds. The first type of mound is known as a conical mound. Conical mounds are usually rounded at the top and are thought to be burial grounds for high status people. The second type of mound is referred to as …show more content…
Another great feature that surrounded Cahokia was the stockade wall. The stockade wall surrounded central Cahokia, the grand plaza, and stretched nearly 2 miles. The wall itself was made out of logs that were about a foot thick and stood anywhere from 15 to 20 feet tall. The Mississippians that lived in Cahokia would dig 4 to 5 foot trenches and erect the logs in them. They would then plaster the logs with clay to help protect the wall from harsh weather and fires. The wall is thought to have been built 4 times over the course of 200 years, starting in 1050 AD. The stockade wall provided a separation of social classes that allowed one class to be dominant over the …show more content…
This hierarchy began to define social, political, and religious classes. Cahokia was dominantly an agriculture society. More specifically the type of agriculture they grew accustomed to, was the eastern agriculture complex, which included roughly seven types of plants. Eventually powerful individuals started to gain control of the food supply. This allowed individuals to become Chief and form an elite group of companions to be in charge. The highest position an individual in Cahokia could be was the Great Sun, he was the leader of Cahokia. The second highest group in the hierarchy was the Elites. They were compromised of Priests and Chieftains that counselled the Great Sun. Next in terms of power were individuals referred to as leaders. Leaders were the day to day people that were in charge of making sure the commoners were doing their jobs and making sure everything ran smoothly. The low man on the totem pole was of course the commoners. The commoners made up the majority of the people. They were in charge of most of the physical labor. Commoners were tradesmen, artisans, warriors, hunters, and fishers. They grew corn, built the mounds, and even erected the stockade wall. Commoners were the backbone of the Cahokia