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cahokia mounds, some 13 km north-east of st louis, missouri, is the largest pre-columbian settlement north of mexico. it was occupied primarily during the mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 ha and included some 120 mounds. it is a striking example of a complex chiefdom society, with many satellite mound centres and numerous outlying hamlets and villages. this agricultural society may have had a population of 10–20,000 at its peak between 1050 and 1150. primary features at the site include monks mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the americas, covering over 5 ha and standing 30 m high. |
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