A sweeping panoramic view of a large ancient Mississippian settlement with earthen platform mounds, thatched houses, and people in open plazas, surrounded by fields and a distant river.

A sweeping panoramic view of Cahokia at its height between 1100 and 1300 CE, seen from an elevated vantage point above the central plaza. Massive earthen platform mounds dominate the landscape, including Monks Mound rising prominently above the surrounding settlement. Wooden structures, thatched houses, and ceremonial buildings are arranged around wide open plazas, connected by packed earth pathways. People gather in the plaza, conduct daily activities, and move between neighborhoods wearing clothing made from woven fibers, leather, and feathered adornments typical of Mississippian cultures. Agricultural fields and forests extend beyond the city, with the Mississippi River visible in the distance. Warm sunlight, expansive sky, ultra-wide panoramic framing, historically accurate reconstruction, no stone buildings, no Old World architecture, no African or Eurasian visual elements. See more