No European settlement in North America would match Cahokia’s peak population for more than five centuries after Cahokia was abandoned.

Philadelphia, which became one of the largest cities in colonial North America, did not reach a population of 20,000 until approximately 1760 CE — more than three centuries after Cahokia’s core population had dispersed.

The physical organization of Cahokia during its peak period was sophisticated.

The city was arranged around a series of plazas, with mounds of different sizes and apparent functions surrounding each plaza.

The largest mounds appear to have served as platforms for important buildings — possibly temples, the residences of leaders, or both.