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Mississippian culture
In the 1330s CE, the Mississippian culture of North America entered its late phase: the great stronghold Cahokia's population kept declining while so…
Timeline
- c. 1331–1337Cahokia · IllinoisCahokia, the largest pre-Columbian city in North America, had by now shrunk greatly from its peak around 1100 CE; some residential areas were abandoned and activity around Monks Mound decreased, possibly due to climate change, resource depletion, and political fragmentation.
- c. 1333–1339Southeastern part of the Mississippi River Basin · Mississippi River BasinChiefdom centers in present-day Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, such as the precursor settlement of Moundville, remained active, continuing to build ceremonial mounds, produce shell bead ornaments and painted pottery, and maintain regional exchange networks.
- c. 1335–1340Plains of the American Midwest · MidwestMississippian communities relied on maize, beans, and squash as staple foods; elites consolidated power by controlling mound sacrifices, shell and copper goods, and long-distance trade, while common farmers worked the river-valley terraces.
Sources
- Cahokia: Ancient America's Great City on the Mississippi — Timothy R. Pauketat (2009)
- Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South — Richard F. Townsend (2004)