I love learning about cities with rich cultural heritages.
It’s especially interesting to learn about the native tribes that lived in the region before westerners came and sadly drove them out of their homeland.
These places have traditions that predate any westerner’s foot being on North American soil. Living in south Florida for a number of years acquainted me with native tribes like the Seminoles, Calusas, Apalachees, Tocobagas, Potanos, Timucuans, Mayaimi, Ais, Jeagas, and Tequestas. During college I had a chance to study native history and art designs before taking anthropology classes and learning even more. It’s fun traveling to cities that were founded hundreds of years ago, because they have historical sites that are among the oldest in the country. I eventually settled in Bernalillo County after college and slowly moved closer to the city of Albuquerque because there were better job opportunities. Of course this area also has a rich Native American heritage, with tribes like the Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, and San Felipe living here for centuries. Despite Albuquerque standing for over 300 years, most of the buildings here have modern amenities like air conditioning and heating. It’s necessary in a city that sees temperatures below 30 degrees in the winter and above 90 degrees in the summer. Right now it’s the middle of January and I have my central furnace running all day long. I don’t want my pipes to freeze and burst, so keeping the heat running is a necessity. I just wish that my furnace was more efficient, regardless of me living in a desert city like Albuquerque. People don’t understand unless they’ve visited this area or lived here for some amount of time.