It's rather striking to compare and contrast the first two US World Heritage Sites dedicated to pre-Columbian North American civilizations. Mesa Verde, in the American Southwest, retains impressive adobe structures built into cliffsides, where Pueblo civilizations would live while farming on the fields above. Cahokia Mounds, on the other hand, retains only earthen mounds left behind from what was once the most advanced civilization north of Mexico. Mesa Verde was built in brick and stone, while structures at Cahokia Mounds were made of wood, which did not last through the centuries. Mesa Verde had the advantage of protection from the US federal government as early as the late 19th century. Cahokia Mounds, on the other hand, was in a prime location on the Mississippi River for European settlers. These settlers did not help in maintaining the integrity of the site; protections for Cahokia Mounds only came in the early 20th century. All this is to say that while it is admirable that the US has protected the heritage of pre-Columbian civilizations across the nation, visitors are more likely to be impressed with sites in the West than the East.

I traveled to Cahokia Mounds for a third visit on a road trip this past summer. The day was sunny and clear, and I was glad I started out in the morning, since the area around Cahokia Mounds gets rather hot and muggy on summer afternoons, and there is little in the way of protection from the sun around the mounds. I completed a circuit that first took me from the interpretative center across the road to a partially reconstructed stockade, built to show how the ancient city used to be protected. From there, I hiked up to Monk's Mound, the largest pre-Columbian earthwork in the Americas. Although a temple is believed to have once stood atop the mound, there are no visible remains; instead the summit offers a good view of the nearby city of St. Louis, on the opposite side of the Mississippi River. I continued from Monk's Mound on a trail around some smaller mounds and reached a site dubbed Woodhenge, where it is believed the Mississippian culture over time used rings of cedar posts as solar calendars. As the day was getting warmer, I crossed the road again, and hurried past the remaining mounds to the interpretative center, which was thankfully open, though with limited capacity due to COVID restrictions. The center gives an excellent overview of the Mississippian culture, as well as the early history of Cahokia Mounds, and I highly recommend a visit there.

Cahokia Mounds is not one of the most visually compelling World Heritage Sites in the United States, but it does have an impressive history, and is worth a visit for anyone traveling to St. Louis, Missouri.

Logistics: Cahokia Mounds is on the eastern side (or Illinois side) of the Mississippi River from the city of St. Louis, Missouri; private transportation is recommended.