Near Collinsville in St. Clair County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Grand Plaza
Heart of the City
Photographed by Duane Hall, June 15, 2014
1. Grand Plaza Marker
The heart of Cahokia was the Grand Plaza situated between Monks Mound and the Twin Mounds. Archaeological testing has confirmed that the plaza was, in part, artificially created by filling in low areas and reducing high points to create a flat, prepared surface. It was here that public gatherings, markets and festivals would take place and the chief could address the assembled masses from Monks Mound.
[Captions:]
Spider motif on a shell gorget
A view of central Cahokia, looking north between the Twin Mounds, across the Grand Plaza to Monks Mound. In the plaza is a chunkey field and traders’ shelters can be seen along the plaza’s edge, in front of the homes of the elite.
View of daily life and activities in and around the Grand Plaza
The Game of chunkey, as it was called by Southeastern Indians, was apparently popular at Cahokia. Many chunkey stones, or discoidals, have been found here, such as this one from Mound 72 (left). The game was played by two men; one would roll the stone then both would throw lances or markers to where they thought the chunkey would stop rolling (above). A stone effigy pipe (right) from Oklahoma depicts a player preparing to roll a chunkey stone.
The 40-acre Grand Plaza was bordered on the north by Monks Mound and on the south by the Twin Mounds (59 & 60). Mounds 49 and 56 are located within the Plaza, mounds 51, 50, 54, and 55 mark the east side, and mounds 48 and 57 mark the western limits.
Major plazas were located north, south, east and west of Monks Mound, and smaller plazas and courtyards were found throughout the city.
Erected by Cahokia
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 38° 39.331′ N, 90° 3.636′ W. Marker is near Collinsville, Illinois, in St. Clair County. It can be reached from Ramey Street 0.2 miles south of Collinsville Road. Marker is located in Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site west of the Interpretive Center; the above directions are to the Interpretive Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30 Ramey St, Collinsville IL 62234, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At
Photographed by Duane Hall, June 15, 2014
2. Grand Plaza Marker
Also see . . . Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Official website of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. (Submitted on June 28, 2014.)
Photographed by Duane Hall, June 15, 2014
3. Grand Plaza Marker
Photographed by Duane Hall, June 15, 2014
4. The Grand Plaza
Photographed by Duane Hall, June 15, 2014
5. The Grand Plaza and the Twin Mounds
Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 2,451 times since then and 173 times this year. Last updated on March 26, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 28, 2014, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
