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UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Southwest U.S.
Visit These Special Heritage Sites

By Elizabeth R. Rose, About.com

These sites have been named by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in the Southwestern U.S. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. You will want to visit each and every one.

Grand Canyon World Heritage Site

Traveling to the Grand Canyon can be confusing. Do you want to take a mule trip? See the new Skybridge? We lead you to the best Grand Canyon information sources and do our best to eliminate some of the confusion over visiting this 217 mile long Canyon, not all of which lies in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Taos Pueblo World Heritage Site

Taos Pueblo, located just outside the historic area of Taos, New Mexico is the largest surviving multi-storied Pueblo structure in the United States. Taos Pueblo has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pueblo is on the United Nations World Heritage List.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park World Heritage Site

Chaco Canyon is a major cultural site. The canyon contains 13 major sites and hundreds of smaller ones, built by the ancestral Puebloan people during the 9th through 12th centuries. The majority of the park and cultural sites are self-guided year-round. Six major sites are located along the 9-mile long Canyon Loop Drive.

Mesa Verde National Park World Heritage Site

Seeing the ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings will be a highlight of your visit. There are a number of cliff dwellings that can be toured during your visit to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park World Heritage Site

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico is not just about one cave. The park was etablished to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef, the park contains more than 85 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave—the nation's deepest limestone cave, at 1,567 feet, and third longest.
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