Great River Road
Cahokia Mounds United Nations World Heritage Site, IL

The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site has been named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cutural Organization (UNESCO). There, the remains of the most sophisticated Indian civilization north of Mexico are preserved within a 2,200-acre track. The city of Cahokia was inhabited from 700 to 1400 AD and became a regional center capitalizing on trade routes. Evidence of a horizon calendar known as Woodhenge, an old stockade, and many burial mounds are interpreted through signs and a visitor center.

The story of this unique site is told in a magnificent interpretive center, which opened in 1989. This building houses many innovative exhibits, created to tell the story of the Cahokia site and the people who lived here. An award-winning orientation show introduces the visitor to the site and provides a stimulus to learn more from the exhibits of artifacts, dioramas, models, and graphics.

The focal point of the exhibit gallery is a full-scale recreation of one of Cahokia's neighborhoods, complete with houses, a sweatlodge, a granary, and more than a dozen mannequins (cast from living Native Americans) representing citizens engaged in a variety of daily activities. The mirrored walls of the room reflect these images numerous times, giving the impression of being in a part of the ancient city. Visitors feel transported into the past.