Rise — And Fall — Of Cahokia
What happens when the biggest city in North America suddenly falls silent… centuries before Europeans ever arrive?
In this video, we dive into the mystery of Cahokia: a massive Mississippian city near present-day St. Louis that exploded in size around 1100 AD, built monumental earthworks like Monks Mound and Woodhenge, ruled vast trade networks across the continent… and then was abandoned.
Was Cahokia destroyed by climate change, resource collapse, warfare, disease, political chaos, or a crisis of belief?
We explore the latest archaeology, environmental evidence, and Indigenous histories to reveal how a thriving metropolis in the Mississippi Valley rose to power—and why its people ultimately walked away. If you’re interested in ancient North America, lost cities, archaeology, or the real history of pre-Columbian civilizations, this video will change how you think about the past. Here’s more from Sleepy Time Origins.
