Hashitamaha was the largest city in North America for centuries. By the eleventh century it was the center of a vast cultural and economic network stretching from Lake Superior almost to the Gulf of Mexico. The people of this region looked to the King of Hashitamaha as the ultimate mediator between humans and the divine, particularly the Sun. However, he did not have direct political sway over most of this region. The Black Death of the thirteenth century in turn threatened the power of the priestly oligarchy. (work in progress)