#mogollon

There were a number of large population centers in the Americas. I will be focusing on those in what is now the US and Canada, but large cities also existed south of the Rio Grande.

Generally considered the greatest pre-Columbian Native American city, Cahokia once sat directly across the river from what is now St. Louis, Missouri. It was settled around 600 CE and existed from 1050-1350 CE, with its apex around 1100 CE. Cahokia likely had more than 20,000 people living in (thousands more than London, at the time) and was the most influential urban settlement of the Mississippian culture.

Cahokia, on the Mississippi River, was an important center for trade and agriculture. It maintained trade links with communities from the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and had people living outside the main urban center. Cahokia, and the Mississippians who built it, were known for their incredible urban planning and the mounds that made up the city center. Today, the Cahokia Mounds are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Second, the Poverty Point (named after a 19th-century plantation on top of it) culture was centralized in what is now northeastern Louisiana. Like Cahokia, it had a number of important mounds for urban life. It was constructed over multiple generations, and radiocarbon dating suggests that earthwork construction was in progress from 1800-1200 BCE. Poverty Point is one of the most ancient cities in the Americas. Poverty Point had a rich material culture include fired earthware, copperwork, and stone vessels. They had manufacturing and long-distance trade.

Third, the Calusa (Caloosahatchee) people of the southwest coast of Florida, on the coast of the Gulf. They also built mounds and, at the time of European contact in the 16th century, had a population in the 10,000s. They were likely the only indigenous North Americans who established a kingdom without practicing agriculture, using the abundant fishing resources instead. The main mound, Mound Key, was a manmade structure with canals, watercourts, and other features. The Calusa were notable for their carved-wood art and their sophisticated engineering and architecture. A single manor on Mound Key was capable of holding 2,000 people.

Fourth, the Mogollon culture was one of the major cultures of southwest America. It had multiple large and dense settlements, but one that's considered a proper city. Called Paquimé, it was settled from 1130-1450 CE. It had a population in the thousands, who lived in multi-story buildings and an irrigation-based agricultural economy. They had a complex system of water control that included drainage, reservoirs, channels, and sewage. The city had a market, ballcourts, and the production of copper and ceramic objects.

The final city to discuss is Etzanoa. Located in what is now Arkansas City, Kansas on the Arkansas River, it actually flourished after and alongside European contact, mostly with the Spanish. Etzanoa housed approximately 20,000 people. It was a seat of power for the Wichita and a trading hub.