By writer and historical researcher, Terri Tumlin
In the period between 900 and 1300 a city arose in what is now southern Illinois, the center of a civilization the spread over much of the area that is now the United States. Cahokia, as the city was called, was the center for the Mississippian Indians, who were the premiere mound builders of North America. While the peoples of Egypt and Central America are remembered and praised for their monuments and achievements, the story of Cahokia has been largely lost. But until the early 19th century, Cahokia was the largest city that had existed in what is now the United States.