The Construction and Use of Cahokia’s Grand Plaza

Archaeological excavations at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site reveal that the grand plaza, built as the centerpiece of Cahokia's city plan around 1050 A.D., was more spacious than previously estimated. The construction required an immense labor investment, potentially exceeding 10,000 person-days for just one-quarter to one-third of the plaza. Evidence suggests the presence of a gallery of upright posts and small buildings in front of Monks Mound, the largest earthen pyramid at the site. By the 13th century, domestic structures lined the plaza edges, indicating evolving urban use over time. The study utilized excavations conducted in 1997 and 2004 along a 1200 m-long waterline corridor through the central plaza to uncover these previously unknown aspects of Cahokia's monumental space.

Alt, S. M., Kruchten, J. D., & Pauketat, T. R. (2010). The Construction and Use of Cahokia’s Grand Plaza. Journal of Field Archaeology, 35(2), 131–146. https://doi.org/10.1179/009346910x12707321520594