But the authors have no idea what happened.
Cahokia reconstruction.
Another reconstructed view.
Most of the mounds were torn down by early settlers to plane crops.
The rest of the keyword, sorted:
It’s Illinois, I blame property taxes.
The inhabitants of Cahokia left nothing in any writing, at least nothing that has been found. That raises questions about the intellectual means and methods they employed in creating Cahokia. Like how were measures taken? How were successful means and methods transmitted for repeated use? How were their stories told and passed on, orally alone? And many other questions that answers are often found for in other ancient civilizations that had methods of writing.
Though the absense of other evidence makes a connection unlikely, what a coincidence that the Black Death ravaged Europe and Asia in the mid-14th century. Nothing like a plague to make concentrated populations disperse, economies and trade break down, etc.
(They are to blame for everything else bad that ever happened, so why not this?)
Wasn’t this about the time that there was a suspected major volcanic eruption that resulted in colder temperatures and a lot of crop failures? I’m guessing they migrated south.
I know 536 was suspected for that and the Justinean plagues were thought to be inflated due to the resulting malnutrition.
The black plague was in the 14th century in Europe - I wouldn’t be surprised if it had a similar eruption related climate event resulting in failed crops and malnutrition related disease susceptibility as well.
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But the authors have no idea what happened.
Cahokia reconstruction.
Another reconstructed view.
Most of the mounds were torn down by early settlers to plane crops.
The inhabitants were run out by teenage drug gangs armed with rapid firing crossbows and sling darts.
When in doubt blame it on aliens.
“One explanation for this mass exodus has blamed a severe drought followed by widespread crop failure”
Climate change strikes again!
They're able to come to that conclusion - "bustling, vibrant" - from a mound of dirt?
Maybe it is the ghosts of all those human sacrifices there. Some were found which appeared they were buried alive.
And not a European around to blame it on for centuries.