Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area

Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The heritage area includes the San Luis Valley and portions of the Sangre de Cristo Range. The region combines influences of Anglo-American, Hispano-American and Native American influences. It also includes portions of the upper Rio Grande valley.

Extent

The national heritage area includes Alamosa, Costilla County and Conejos counties, and portions of Saguache and Rio Grande counties. It also includes within its boundaries Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Baca National Wildlife Refuge, the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, the South San Juan Wilderness, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and the Medano-Zapata Ranch.

Other features include the Trujillo Homestead, a National Historic Landmark.

Cultural preservation

The national heritage area was established to preserve and promote the region's distinctive cultural and natural features. The San Luis Valley was culturally isolated for much of its history, preserving a distinctive local Spanish dialect and vocabulary. A high proportion of the local population is descended from Hispanos, Spanish colonial settlers who arrived in the area in the 1600s, the first European settlers in Colorado.

Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area was established by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

External links

• official Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area website