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Downtown San Jose hosts California’s oldest house, the Peralta Adobe, built in 1797 by Spanish settler Manuel Gonzales. Constructed with Adobe bricks, with a thick two-foot wall and no running water, it starkly contrasts modern Silicon Valley, serving as a reminder of California’s humble beginnings during Spanish colonial times.
Colorado: Cliff Palace
Before European settlers arrived, Colorado's ancient cliff dwellings such as Cliff Palace, built between 1190 and 1260 AD by ancestral Puebloans, stand as some of the oldest known structures. Carved into sandstone cliffs in Mesa Verde National Park, this complex contained approximately 150 rooms and 23 kivas. It sheltered around 100 people and remains a marvel of prehistoric architecture.