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I don't know about Cahokia, but the oldest ruins out West is Mesa Verde, and there's nothing touristy close to it other than Four Corners. A buddy of mine from

I don't know about Cahokia, but the oldest ruins out West is Mesa Verde, and there's nothing touristy close to it other than Four Corners. A buddy of mine from Toronto came to visit California and managed to hit SF, LA, and San Diego in the space of a week and two weekends, but seeing anything older than a mission[1] would've taken ten hours of driving — one way — to get to Mesa Verde. Sure, you could see it if you're in the states as an outdoorsy type who wants to see all the majesty of the American Southwest, but this wasn't that sort of trip. Stonehenge, by contrast, ought to be less of a detour for someone who wants to hit all the UK highlights in a week or two. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_missions_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_missions_in_California

jacobolus 10y ago
> managed to hit SF, LA, and San Diego [...] but seeing anything older than a mission would've taken ten hours of driving — one way — to get to Mesa Verde. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_on_the_National_Register_of_Historic_Places_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_... You’re right though that most indigenous peoples’ dwellings in California were made of wood or mud, and have not survived the past 500 years. The artifacts recovered from archeological digs can be seen in museums, but there aren’t really any grand monuments. It’s a tragedy, as there once was an incredible diversity of cultures in California. For instance, I’ve heard that linguistically, the pre-Columbian languages in California had more diversity than all the languages in Eurasia. Now almost all of those are extinct or headed for extinction.
batbomb 10y ago
Telluride, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Durango+Silverton, Arches, Chaco Canyon, Bisti Badlands, and tons of smaller sites (Aztec, Salmon). I grew up in the area. You can't really (reasonably) fly within 3 hours, but between the 34th and 39th parallels, Nevada to Kansas, is wonderful, vast, and beautiful.
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sizzzzlerz 10y ago
Chaco Canyon is a bit older than Mesa Verde. The former started around 850 while the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings began about 1150.

jacobolus 10y ago

> managed to hit SF, LA, and San Diego [...] but seeing anything older than a mission would've taken ten hours of driving — one way — to get to Mesa Verde. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_on_the_National_Register_of_Historic_Places_in_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Archaeological_sites_... You’re right though that most indigenous peoples’ dwellings in California were made of wood or mud, and have not survived the past 500 years. The artifacts recovered from archeological digs can be seen in museums, but there aren’t really any grand monuments. It’s a tragedy, as there once was an incredible diversity of cultures in California. For instance, I’ve heard that linguistically, the pre-Columbian languages in California had more diversity than all the languages in Eurasia. Now almost all of those are extinct or headed for extinction.

batbomb 10y ago

Telluride, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Durango+Silverton, Arches, Chaco Canyon, Bisti Badlands, and tons of smaller sites (Aztec, Salmon). I grew up in the area. You can't really (reasonably) fly within 3 hours, but between the 34th and 39th parallels, Nevada to Kansas, is wonderful, vast, and beautiful.

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sizzzzlerz 10y ago

Chaco Canyon is a bit older than Mesa Verde. The former started around 850 while the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings began about 1150.