Mary Nelson's Architecture Atlas

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7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Visit in the United States

Statue of Liberty, New York — Unsplash

1/ Statue of Liberty

• A gift from France in 1886 celebrating 100 years of American independence
• Made in Paris by French sculptor Bartholdi in collab w/ Gustave Eiffel
• Located at the entrance of the New York Harbour


Cliff Palace — CC BY-SA 4.0 Rationalobserver

2/ Mesa Verde National Park

• Ancestral Pueblo Indian dwellings
• Built from the 6th-12th centuries
• Located in SW Colorado


Independence Hall — Unsplash

3/ Independence Hall

• Where the Declaration of Independence (1776) was signed
• And where the Constitution of the United States (1787) was signed
• Early 18th century building in Philadelphia


Fortaleza — CC BY-SA 2.0 Ulises Jorge

4/ La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site

• Built between 16th-20th century
• Historic military architecture in a port city
• Used as a fortress, arsenal, prison and residence of Governor-General

Today it is used as the seat of government and Governor's residence.


Taos Pueblo — CC BY-SA 2.0

5/ Taos Pueblo

• Built between 13th-14th centuries
• Pueblo Indian settlement in Taos New Mexico
• Continuously inhabited with some houses rising 5 stories


Chaco Canyon — CC BY-SA 4.0 Gerd Eichmann

6/ Chaco Canyon

• A major cultural site for Ancestral Puebloans
• Located in Northwestern New Mexico
• Dating from the 9th-13th centuries


Mission Espada complex — Robert Howen @National Park Service

7/ San Antonio Missions

• Five Franciscan mission complexes
• Built in the 18th century by the Spanish
• Situated along the San Antonio River in southern Texas


Have you been to any of these cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the US?