The Valles Caldera and its most famous effusion: the Bandolier Tuff, carved by countless footsteps of the indigenous peoples who built their communitues into the cliffs. Several critters and dream etchings. The Rio Grande and Sandia Crest. The fungus that sprung forth overnight on the log that Danny sat upon, and a waterfall of dubious origin.
Sierran snowmelt runs through Payahuunadü (the Land of Flowing Water) to the endorheic lake Patsiata. The Paiute Nüümü people followed the sun up and down the Sierras with the seasons, and built canals to spread water throughout the valley for irrigation, and lush gardens sprung forth.
Now, this area is effectively a water colony for Los Angeles. Following an aggressive land grab over 100 years ago, the city of LA owns more land in Inyo County than the footprint of the city itself. LADWP is the largest employer in Inyo county.
When water was diverted, Patsiata, which previously was a ~100 square mile navigable lake, nearly dried up and became a hazardous dust pollution source, so LADWP installed sprinklers along the lake following a federal mandate to control the dust.
The water diverted from Payahuunadü supported the development first of agriculture, and soon after, sprawling suburbs in the San Fernando Valley. A marvel of human engineering aridified much of Payahuunadü to realize our dreams (nightmares?) of sprawling highways, deadlocked traffic, smog, parking lots, and shopping malls.
Teotihaucán was one of the world's biggest cities from 100-500 AD, supporting a diverse population pushing a quarter million. Central Mexico has highly seasonal precipitation, so the city was outfitted with ground-level acqueducts, storm drains, reservoirs, pools and canals for flood control, agriculture, and to guarantee water in the dry season for the people. Amazingly, many of the ornate paintings adorning the walls of the city remain intact.
The ruins of this stone city became a holy site for Aztec civilization, which considered Teotihaucán the birthplace of the gods.
The largest structure in Teotihaucán, el Pirámide del Sol is amongst the largest pyramids in the world by volume. Each pyramid in the city was christened with dozens to hundreds of ritual human sacrifices.
Apparently some recent archeological work uncovered a series of deliberately sealed underground tunnels here that included walls and artifacts guilded with pyrite and other shiny minerals, to create a starry sparkling effect in torchlight. One particularly amazing find in the tunnels were pools filled with liquid mercury, perhaps symbolizing bodies of water in the Underworld.
