Cahokia: The Great Civilization A great civilization once stood in what now is present day East St. Louis, Illinois. This civilization of Mound Builders, known as the Hopewell culture, consisted of advanced mathematicians and ingenious architects. Nobody knows for sure what the natives called their town; the French named the town “Cahokia”, which derived from the word “Kaowikia”, what came from the name of a village inhabited by a subgroup of the Illini tribe which …showed first 75 words of 420 total…

…showed last 75 words of 420 total…and developed some of the greatest structures in American history. The society that developed in 900 AD, began weaken around 1300 AD and finally met its demise two hundred years later. Many archeologists have drawn conclusions from evidence that they have found this conclusion reveals that their mass population growth at around 1100 AD caused Cahokia’s downfall. They believe that the large population growth caused a decline in food and resources forcing a poverty upon Cahokia inhabitants.