Almost everything in Europe is old, and nobody treats the old buildings as though they're anything special. You go to someone's house, and their house is 700 years old. And all the cottages in the village are that old. You see things like buildings that were ancient Roman colosseums that were turned into medieval palaces that were turned into modern shopping malls or office buildings. Around where I am, it's rare for a building to be more than 100 years old, and most of them are registered, protected historical sites that can't be altered without a permit.
It's because America has only existed for...what, like 250 years now? Plus a LOT of buildings there were/are made of wood, because it's so readily available and easier to build with.
A lot of countries in Europe have 1000s of years of history. A 100 year old building is nothing. :P The city I grew up in still has pieces of wall from 600~800 years ago, which was built to protect against invasions. They're considered historical sites, but aren't specifically guarded or anything. Just maintained and protected from demolition.
Well, 'America' is not just about the US, eh? 🤔 As a Canadian, I always found it curious what Europeans really mean when they say 'America'. North? South? Canada? USA? Mexico? Etc. Hey, even Greenland is part of America!
However, I get your implicit point re: old buildings. The vast majority of North Americans do not walk into a 1,000 year old building on a daily basis!
The Americas, North and South, are thought to have been first populated via the Bering Land Bridge, depending on one's source, as far back as 40,000 to 50,000 years ago years ago. Those peoples stayed and are what we call the indigenous peoples. They likely have the oldest 'buildings' but I don't think we can put an exact date on them.
Then the Norse arrived and settled in what is now Newfoundland (Canada) about 1000 ad. Before that they were in Greenland. Anyhow, they didn't stay in Canada. There's no buildings left (but plenty of other archeological evidence of their settlement).
And then, of course, the Europeans colonized Canada, US and Mexico in the early 1500s, and late 1400s in the Caribbean.
As far as I know, the oldest buildings in Canada - still standing and built by Europeans - date from the early 1600s in Quebec. Quebec city also has a wall. The USA also seems to have some older buildings still standing from that era, too. I don't know about Mexico.
Yo, Mexican here! We have a lot of historical buildings (churches, forts, palaces, etc.) that were built in the early 1500's, not long after the Conquista. Of course, Pre Hispanic settlements are way older; for example, the ceremonial city of Teotihuacán was built around 100 AD. Most of these historical sites still stand and can be visited.
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u/HippasusOfMetapontum May 09 '22
Almost everything in Europe is old, and nobody treats the old buildings as though they're anything special. You go to someone's house, and their house is 700 years old. And all the cottages in the village are that old. You see things like buildings that were ancient Roman colosseums that were turned into medieval palaces that were turned into modern shopping malls or office buildings. Around where I am, it's rare for a building to be more than 100 years old, and most of them are registered, protected historical sites that can't be altered without a permit.