Farming transformed nearly every part of life and led to the development of Mississippian culture. Mississippian farmers grew corn, squash, beans, and some native plants, and they also hunted, gathered, and fished, producing enough food to feed towns and cities. Mississippian communities appeared from Georgia to Oklahoma and Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast. In Illinois, Mississippian culture disappeared around AD 1400, but it persisted in other areas. Mississippian farmers lived in buildings perched atop earthen mounds. An open plain for games and rituals was often nearby, and neighborhoods of thatch roofed houses surrounded the plaza. A big stockade protected large Mississippian communities from intruders. Nearby were small unreadable farmers will take their produce in unreadable exchange it for other goods.
