On my trip from Maryland to Florida, I stopped by
•(first row
) the oldest English settlement in the US •(second row) the oldest Spanish settlement in the US
In both of the places I visited (Historic Jamestowne, Fountain of Youth; both archeological dig sites) what was most interesting was the layers of historical interpretation. Both of these places became tourist sites in about the early 1900s. Particularly interesting is how the narrative of contact between Europeans and indigenous peoples is represented. In modern times, both sites involve members of local tribes/nations in the presentation, while there was much more sensationalism/stereotyping in the monuments and plaques from earlier.
If you ever visit the US and are interested in history, I recommend you stop by the historic areas of Virginia (there’s a lot of interactive stuff to do I was just in a hurry) and St. Augustine.
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