Decline of Cahokia, Mississippian Culture

Timeline

1. 1215Cahokia mound site · IllinoisArchaeological evidence shows that residential density in Cahokia's core area declined markedly in the early 13th century, peripheral satellite settlements were abandoned one after another, and the agricultural-tribute system that had once supported a vast population could no longer be sustained.
2. 1215Monks Mound · IllinoisIconic mounds such as Monks Mound were no longer expanded after the 12th century, and maintenance of ceremonial plazas decreased, indicating that central authority and religious mobilization capacity had been greatly weakened.
3. 1215–1220Mississippi River basin · American MidwestLong-distance exchange goods such as copper from the Rocky Mountains and shell from the Gulf Coast declined sharply in Cahokia's strata, as Mississippian chiefdoms shifted toward a more localized and decentralized political-economic pattern.