Cahokia - Part 3: The city of the sun

From the summit of Monks Mound, the world unfolds in every direction—a patchwork of plazas, mounds, and bustling neighborhoods. Here, power and faith meet under the open sky. This is Cahokia at its golden age, a city ruled by visionaries who shaped earth and society alike.Imagine the effort: thousands of hands moving basket after basket of earth, raising Monks Mound higher each year. At over thirty meters tall, it dominated the landscape, a monument to both spiritual and political might. The city’s rulers—a hereditary elite, remembered today as the Great Sun and his kin—held sway from atop this massive platform. Burials on the mounds tell us of their power: copper axes, shell gorgets, and precious ornaments laid alongside the dead. These objects, crafted with care, spoke of status inherited and fiercely protected.Learn more at: https://thecivilizationarchive.com/civilization/cahokiaThe Civilization Archive is part of The Archive Network by Jonkai Ventures, a collection of podcasts dedicated to exploring the civilizations and empires that shaped our world.Support the podcast and access exclusive content on Patreon:https://thearchivenetwork.com/supportDiscover more archives and stories:https://thearchivenetwork.comExplore this archive:https://thecivilizationarchive.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.