New Mexico tops U.S. in World Heritage sites | Albuquerque Journal

By Dan Herrera / Editorial Page Editor

Sunday, March 13th, 2016 at 12:05am

There are many reasons New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment. Its abundance of UNESCO World Heritage sites is one of them.

It is one very prestigious list on which our state’s No. 1 ranking is a good thing….

There are 1,031 World Heritage sites around the world, including such bucket-list places as the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Machu Picchu in Peru. All three of those places are still on my big-wish list.

If you want to see the complete list, go to whc.unesco.org/en/list .

There are 23 World Hertiage sites in the United States. You’ve probably been to some of them. …

[E]nchanting New Mexico has three – more World Heritage sites than any other U.S. state. They are Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Taos Pueblo and Chaco Culture National Historical Park.

If three’s not impressive enough, a fourth New Mexico site is under consideration for inclusion – White Sands National Monument. …

Of course, each site has its own website with complete information about how to get there and what you’ll find:

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park: www.nps.gov/cave

• Chaco Culture National Historical Park: www.nps.gov/chcu

• Taos Pueblo: www.taospueblo.com

• White Sands National Monument: www.nps.gov/whsa

New Mexico tops U.S. in World Heritage sites | Albuquerque Journal