Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area facts for kids
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The national heritage area includes a section of the upper Rio Grande Valley that has been inhabited by the Puebloan peoples since the early Pre-Columbian era.
Three counties, Santa Fe, Taos, and Rio Arriba are included in the designated National Heritage Area. The Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area was authorized in 2006 by Public Law 109-338.
Sites
Pueblos
Eight pueblos are included in the National Heritage Area:
- Nambé Pueblo
- Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo,
- Picuris Pueblo
- Pojoaque Pueblo
- San Ildefonso Pueblo
- Santa Clara Pueblo
- Taos Pueblo — a World Heritage Site.
- Tesuque Pueblo
The Jicarilla Apache reservation is also within in the heritage area.
Spanish colonial sites
The heritage area also commemorates the influence of Hispanic colonists from the Viceroyalty of New Spain (colonial México), who arrived in the late 1590s and onwards.
Spanish colonial sites in the National Heritage Area include:
- Historic center−core of Santa Fe
- Ranchos de Taos
- 16 National Historic Landmarks
- 270 other historic properties, including those on the National Register of Historic Places, of the pre-statehood era.
Natural areas
Natural areas protected at the federal level within the National Heritage Area include portions of:
- Santa Fe National Forest
- Carson National Forest
- Valles Caldera National Preserve
- Bandelier National Monument
- Pecos National Monument.
State parks
New Mexico state parks within the heritage area include:
Scenic drives and byways
Scenic drives and byways with sections through parts of the heritage area include:
- Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
- Puyé Scenic Byway
- El Camino Real National Scenic Byway
- Route 66 National Scenic Byway
- Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway
- Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway
- Wild Rivers Back Country Scenic Byway
- High Road to Taos
.jpg)
