### id250523468 Cahokia festivals had tall pole circus acts > Towering poles lining the Grand Plaza may have provided another spectacle of athletic grace, Pauketat said. He imagines men may have climbed the poles or tied themselves in for soaring, airborne dances, a ritual still practiced in some Maya parts of Mesoamerica. "In the Mesoamerican ceremony, you have these big, tall cypress poles put in, and four guys who dress up as bird men and fly around those poles," he said. "We've got those poles at Cahokia." > > Shell beads, feathers and fine leather caught the sunlight as everyone donned their most elaborate costumes for such events, Pauketat explained. Cahokians loved a palette of red, white and black; people styled their hair into elaborate buns, mohawks and plumes. Tattoos adorned some bodies and faces. - [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01fmsp4fbcyyg55as92ngvpmsk) - [[The US Lost, Ancient Megacity by Jen Rose Smith#id250523468 Cahokia festivals had tall pole circus acts|View in Vault]]