Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico.[1] 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.[2] The Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area was authorized in 2006 by Public Law 109-338.[2][3]
Eight pueblos are included in the National Heritage Area:[4]
The Jicarilla Apache reservation is also within the heritage area.[4]
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.[5]
Spanish colonial sites in the National Heritage Area include:
Natural areas protected at the federal level within the National Heritage Area include portions of:[7]
New Mexico state parks within the heritage area include:[7]
Scenic drives and byways with sections through parts of the heritage area include: