The Villager Voice
The Cahokia peoples was the largest pre-Columbian Native American civilization north of Mexico; they thrived for about 400 years, between 1050 and 1450 CE. Located in the region of present-day St. Louis, MO, it boasted a population of between 15,000 and 20,000 at its zenith. It was one of the earliest examples, if not the earliest, of city planning. Entire neighborhoods, plazas and temples were purposefully designed and laid out, though very little of it survives today. The most prominent ruin is a mound that served the purpose of a temple, still open to the public in East St. Louis, IL. Both the origins and eventual disappearance of the Cahokia people remain a matter for debate by both historians and archeologists to this day. In fact I first came across the Cahokia in a book of speculative fiction titled Cahokia Jazz that caught my eye at the local library a couple of years ago: it imagines an alternate history where the Cahokia survived and lived among the rest of the St Louis community.
My annual study week will take me to the city next week where I hope to dig more deeply into the history (and mystery) of the Cahokia. A visit to the last extant temple, The Monks Mound (which serves the same purpose as the ancient Hawai’ian heiaus) is at the top of my list. I hope to return with a fuller understanding of this lost civilization which a millennium ago was such a thriving metropolis.
This Sunday is the annual Middlesex Association Pulpit Swap; I will be leading worship at Middletown’s South Congregational Church and South Church’s pastor, The Rev. Dr. Kristen Provost Switzer, will do the same at the United Church. I know she will receive a warm welcome, and I look forward to hearing about your experience with her.
Links to Sunday’s bulletin and service are here: