Decline Phase of Cahokia, Mississippian Culture (c. 1175)

Timeline

1. c. 1170–1175Around Monks Mound · IllinoisArchaeological strata show that the large-scale mound raising and plaza expansion that had continued for centuries slowed markedly in the mid-to-late 12th century. The use frequency of ritual facilities such as the ceremonial Woodhenge declined, indicating that the theocratic-political system sustaining the city's hierarchical order was loosening.
2. c. 1175–1180Mississippi River basin, American Midwest · MidwestSatellite settlements in the Mississippi River basin of the American Midwest were abandoned one after another; pottery styles and settlement sizes show that the population briefly concentrated toward Cahokia's core before dispersing again. The regional trade network shrank, imports of prestige goods from distant places declined, and the city's status as a regional exchange center weakened.