Day 1: Welcome to Cahokia!

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Kwey! That is hi in the Cahokian root language of Algonquian. My name is Hernando Leon and I am embarking upon the adventure of my life: exploring the land of the Americas. It has been officially 4 months since I left my home country of Spain on my ship and two months since I have arrived here in North America, and this has been the most incredible experience. My journey in the Americas began as I was met by the 5 tribes of the Iroquois who had just began moving up from south of New York. As their tribe was only beginning to form it seemed to be a fairly small group of people. However, after the past couple of weeks of just wandering through the land after I left the Iroquois, today I came across a group of Native Americans settled in an area known as Cahokia.

Almost immediately when I approached their land I was struck by the enormous land mounds distributed amongst their territory. There were over 120 mounds dispersed amongst the city. Yet, the most impressive one that I saw was Monk's Mound, a flat topped dirt pyramid, and a top this structure was what looked like a 5,000 square foot temple. Once, I entered the city, I was greeted by the chief of the group, known as the Great Sun Chief. He told me that Monk’s Mound was over 100 feet tall and spanned 17 acres at its base which is quite incredible. I was very impressed when the chief told me that over the years of Cahokia’s development as a civilization, they have dug, stacked, and carried over 55 million cubic feet of dirt with nothing but their woven baskets and bodies. It is quite a technological feat that they are able to create such massive structures that are architecturally sound to last for such long times. As the kind chief continued leading me through the city, he showed me all of the greatest structures including the Woodhenge which is a series of circles made from red cedar wood posts that have been used as a calendar of sorts for the solstices, equinoxes, and festivals.

The chief also brought me to the Mississippi River which Cahokia is centered around and he explained a bit about their trading system. This river is right near the Illinois and Missouri river too so trading amongst the waterways it quite simple and efficient. He also told me that they maintain trade connections with those around the Great Lakes in the north and the Gulf Coast in the south which demonstrates their trading power. They traded items such as copper, Mill Creek Chert, and whelk shells. He led me to a large stash of the Mill Creek Chert and explained to me that it was very useful for creating hoes, and that by having control over these tools and goods it allowed for the city to economically thrive.

Alright, I’m going to go retire for the night and quit my blogging for now, but I will be sure to fill you in on all of my adventures for the rest of my time here. Madjashin (See you later)!

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