Decline of Mississippian Culture in the 1340s

Timeline

1. 1341–1345Cahokia · IllinoisArchaeological strata show that in the 1340s, elite residences and public plaza activity around Cahokia's Monks Mound declined sharply, with the population dispersing to smaller surrounding settlements or migrating away.
2. 1342–1348Lower Mississippi River · Mississippi River BasinMultiple Mississippian platform centers in the lower Mississippi and the Southeast (such as later-phase Moundville and Etowah's decline layers) showed reduced maintenance and the emergence of defensive settlement patterns in the 1340s, reflecting political fragmentation.
3. 1345–1350Corn Belt of the central United States · Central regionPaleoclimate studies indicate that the central United States may have experienced drought and cooling in the mid-14th century (the onset of the Little Ice Age); declining maize yields may have intensified stress on Mississippian agricultural societies, partially overlapping with the period of archaeological population decline.