The Pan-Indigenous Time Travel Bucket List

If you’re a fellow history enthusiast and your friends are always reminding you that time travel isn’t possible, ditch them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

Every day, you’re bombarded with news about morally corrupt politicians that leaves you feeling cynical as you lament the fall of glorious rulers from long ago. You groan at the latest degenerate pop culture trends and return to your books to avoid being consumed by your terrifying thoughts about the human condition. As you read, you start longing to live among the people of your favourite culture or epoch. Their way of life captivates you and you even feel certain that you would rock their fashion style if only you were of their world. Your friends and family members view you as unsocial and eccentric, wondering why you impose so many contemplative hours of solitude upon yourself. All they ever do is criticize your flaws and brush aside your accomplishments, much like society does to the historical figures of your favourite time period.

Trust me, I understand. To cheer you up, I’ve compiled a list of travel destinations along with the eras it would be most ideal to visit them with a time machine if you ever happen to have one in your possession. These societies were all established by the indigenous people of the Americas. You may be familiar with some of the more popular places on this list, although I’ve intentionally tried to highlight some lesser known gems. I highly recommend enjoying the remainder of this article with some hot chocolate, as it was invented by the Aztecs. 

1: Haida Gwaii

Let’s start up north and work our way south, as only seems logical for a sightseeing list covering destinations across the Americas. 

Right off the coast of British Columbia lies the archipelago of Haida Gwaii, meaning “islands of the people”. The region is also known as Queen Charlotte Islands to those who somehow think that’s a better name. Among the beautiful temperate rainforests you will find century-old totem poles, which depict animals and bare family crests such as eagles, ravens, bears and salmons. The ruins of a once prosperous trading village built by the Haida people, called Ninstints, can also be seen. It is guarded by twenty six totem poles and contains cedar longhouses. Long ago the Haida used to go whale hunting and fishing in their giant seafaring canoes. I recommend finishing off your tour of Haida Gwaii before 1774, right before the first European contact.

2: Cahokia

Reaching the zenith of its influence some time between 1050 and 1350 CE, the city of Cahokia near present day St. Louis, Missouri is known for its mounds. These vast earthen structures were built as burial chambers for magnificent rulers. The largest one, Monk’s Mound, stands thirty metres high. In addition to having 120 mounds, Cahokia also once boasted an astronomical observatory nicknamed ‘woodhenge’ and a defensive palisade. It was the cultural and economic centre of the Mississippian culture. It’s hard to miss, being the largest Native American settlement north of Mexico.

3: Teotihuacan

Very few mysteries in archaeology are as alluring as Mexico’s Teotihuacan. Built around 100 BCE, it was completely abandoned and in ruins when the Aztecs absorbed it into their empire in the late 1300s, so to this day no one knows who built it. It contains many impressive pyramids and plazas and was also probably the first site at which the Mesoamerican plumed serpent deity was worshipped. Known to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl and the Mayans as Kukulkan or Gukumatz, it was a god of wind, wisdom and learning who was said to have introduced civilization to the Aztecs. I suppose you could say Quetzalcoatl was like the Mesoamerican Prometheus.

4: Caral

Just like any good list blogger should, it’s looks like I’ve saved the best for last. Located in the Supe Valley of Peru, the city of Caral was built in 2600 BCE, which meant that it was flourishing around the same time as Mesopotamia was. As you can tell by its age, it was an astonishing discovery as it pushed back the limits of the history of the Americas to a much earlier time than previously thought. Among its ruins, many recording devices known as quipus were discovered. These were also used by a lot of later Andean cultures such as the Incas, who could tie knots on the quipus. It is entirely possible that this culture could have been really advanced in mathematics and even have a concept of zero.

As your journey comes to an end, be prepared for the overwhelming feeling of wanderlust. It is sort of like homesickness except it involves a yearning for distant places and a desire to explore other cultures. I’ve felt it many times before. If you didn’t understand the allure of the ancient Americas before, perhaps now you are closer to realizing what the hype is all about.