Around the globe, a huge tourist draw is ruins from ancient civilizations. Here in the U.S., we are fortunate to have many great sites where we can view and learn from the architecture left behind by ancient Native Americans. Many of them are well more than a thousand years old.
Let’s take a little mini-tour of some of the best to help you plan future trips for walking among the ancients.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
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Located in a remorse canyon in northeastern New Mexico, this site has a large collection of pueblos from a culture that thrived more than 1500 years ago. In fact, it’s the largest collection of ancient Native architecture found on the continent north of Mexico.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, New Mexico
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Also located in a remote area, this time in the southwestern part of the state, this site is along the Gila River and surrounded by rugged wilderness. You can go on self-guided tours of the structures and also relax along the river.
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
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Named for an anthropologist who studied the area’s ancient cultures and advocated for preserving what they left behind, this site is near Los Alamos. Much of it is designated wilderness, but it’s easy to access the very well-preserved ruins here.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
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Mesa Verde is a huge natural tableland that rises between Cortez and Durango in the Four Corners region. The most famous site here is the Cliff Palace, which you can view up close on ranger-guided tours.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Colorado
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Also in the Four Corners region, which is rich in sites with ancient ruins, this site is connected with Hovenweep National Monument. Collectively, these lands have more architectural sites than Chaco Canyon does. Canyons of the Ancients alone has more than 8500 documented sites.
Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Arizona
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This canyon is also notable for its beautiful cliffs and spires, including Spider Rock. There is ancient rock art here as well, and the two most notable archeological sites are the White House and Mummy Cave. Scientists have found many mummies in the American Southwest, where the arid climate has kept them well-preserved for centuries.
Montezuma Castle National Monument, Arizona
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Some structures here date back more than 1400 years. The main structure was built over three centuries, and it contains about 20 rooms spread across 5 stories.
Edge of the Cedars State Park, Utah
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This state park and museum is easy to access since it’s right off Interstate 70. Still, it’s in a rugged area and has a remote feel. Here, researchers collect and study archaeological finds from all over southeastern Utah.
Ulm Pishkun State Park, Montana
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This is not actually an architectural site, but it’s a location of great cultural significance. Here, not far from present-day Great Falls, hunters of the ancient Plains Culture drove bison over the edge of a natural cliff, and then their people harvested the meat, skin, bones, and organs.
Serpent Mound State Memorial, Ohio
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The arid climate of the Southwest makes it the country’s hot spot for ancient architectural and cultural sites, but there are locations elsewhere in the country. At Serpent Mound, you’ll find a three-foot-high serpent effigy that spans nearly 1350’ in length. It’s the world’s largest such effigy.
Effigy Mounds National Monument, Iowa
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The mounds here, many of them shaped like animals such as bears and birds, are more than 1500 years old. Although they are not as large as the Serpent Mound, there are more than 200 of them.
Poverty Point, Louisiana
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Northeastern Louisiana is where you’ll find the prehistoric earthwork the Poverty Point culture constructed here. No one is quite certain why the ancients created the mounds and ridges here. Popular theories include for religious purposes, for trade, and for settlement.
Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, Georgia
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Formerly a national monument, this park protects and preserves cultures spanning more than 10,000 years. Most of the structures here are earthworks that include a burial mound, ceremonial mounds, and trenches constructed for defense.
15 Must-Dos on Your Next Trip to Lake Tahoe
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Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border makes a lot of lists of the most beautiful places in America. There’s also a lot to do there, with a wide range of outdoor recreation, great dining, resorts, nightlife, and more. If it’s your first time going or if you’re going back, consider adding some of the following places to your itinerary.
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