World Heritage Scorecard
Enhancing the Tour with the most cherished sites of the World
The Scorecard (Part 3)
85.
A restored village in the Quebrada de Humahuaca
Name: Quebrada de Humahuaca
Location: Jujuy, Argentina
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: A pleasant way to climb the Andes.
86.
The city of Potosi and Cerro Rico
Name: City of Potosí
Location: Potosi, Bolivia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: Claimed to be the highest city in the World.
87.
in Sucre
Name: Historic City of Sucre
Location: Sucre, Boliva
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: My visit was distracted by political protests.
88.
Carving on the Puerta del Sol at Tiwanaku
Name: Tiwanaku: Spiritual and Political Centre of the Tiwanaku Culture
Location: Northern Bolivia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: Archeological work at this site is in progress.
89.
Cuzco
Name: City of Cuzco
Location: Cuzco, Peru
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: Mainstream tourists crowd the city, but still a great place.
90.
The Inca sanctuary at Machu Picchu
Name: Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
Location: Cuzco, Peru
Type: Mixed
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Access by train or foot only, and quite expensive, but one of the Top sites of the Tour.
91.
Monkey Geoglyph at Nasca
Name: Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana
Location: Nasca, Peru
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: An air-tour is required to really appreciate this site.
92.
Iglesia San Merced in Lima
Name: Historic Centre of Lima
Location: Lima, Peru
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: The site is dwarfed by this giant city.
93.
Subterranean temple ruins at Chavin de Huantar
Name: Chavin (Archaeological Site)
Location: Huari, Paru
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: A significant detour from any direct route is needed to reach this site.
94.
Lago Querococha in Parque Nacional Huascaran
Name: Huascarán National Park
Location: Eastern Peru
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Crossing by bike only gives a brief view of the site.
95.
Ruins of the adobe city of Chan Chan
Name: Chan Chan Archaeological Zone
Location: Trujillo, Peru
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: Site has been severely eroded over the centuries.
96.
A Marine Iguana on a beach
Name: Galápagos Islands
Location: Eastern Pacific Ocean
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 2
Comment: My visit provided a nice break from the Tour, and a chance to see some distinctive flora and fauna.
97.
Cuenca
Name: Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca
Location: Southern Ecuador
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 5
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: Interesting parts of this site were rather widely dispersed through the town.
98.
Volcan Tungurahua in Parque Nacional Sangay
Name: Sangay National Park
Location: Ecuador
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: n.a.
Tour-Friendly Factor: 3
Comment: Clouds and broken roads prevented me from seeing much of this site.
99.
Quito Centro
Name: City of Quito
Location: Ecuador
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: One of my favorite city-center sites.
100.
Statues guarding ancient tombs at San Agustín
Name: San Agustín Archeological Park
Location: Huila, Colombia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: Located far away from main routes.
101.
Ancient underground tomb at Tierradentro
Name: National Archeological Park of Tierradentro
Location: Cauca, Colombia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 3
Comment: Even more difficult to reach.
102.
Mompox Centro
Name: Historic Centre of Santa Cruz de Mompox
Location: Bolivar, Colombia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: A nice town, though located deep in the Rio Magdalena delta.
103.
Cartagena Viejo
Name: Port, Fortresses and Group of Monuments, Cartagena
Location: Cartagena, Colombia
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: A surprisingly extensive site, and a nice place to end Stage 4.
104.
Ruins in Panama Viejo
Name: Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá
Location: Panama City, Panama
Type: Cutlural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Must enter urban Panama City to get to this site.
105.
Fort San Lorenzo
Name: Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo
Location: North coast of Panama
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 4
Comment: Out of the way, unless planning to leave Panama by sea.
106.
Dry forest at Guanacaste Conservation Area
Name: Area de Conservación Guanacaste
Location: Gunacaste, Costa Rica
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 4
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: Passing through gives only a minimal understanding of the area.
107.
Ruins at León Viejo
Name: Ruins of León Viejo
Location:Leon, Nicaragua
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 4
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Visible ruins are a little small.
108.
Great Plaza at Copan
Name: Maya Site of Copan
Location: Honduras
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: A very well-presented site, with an excellent museum.
109.
Hieroglyph at Quirigua
Name: Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua
Location: Southern Guatemala
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: A small Mayan site, but with some nice stone work.
110.
Temple 1 at Tikal
Name: Tikal National Park
Location: Eastern Guatemala
Type: Mixed
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: A truly great mixed site, both natural and cultural components very impressive.
111.
School of fish at the Hol Chan Marine reserve
Name: Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System
Location: Waters off Belize
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Reasonably easy to arrange a dive at the site.
112.
Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
Name: Sian Ka'an
Location: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: A pleasant site, but not much wildlife around when I visited.
113.
El Castillo at Chitzen Itza
Name: Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
Location: Yucatan, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 9
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: A well-restored, but crowded site.
114.
Mayan City of Uxmal
Name: Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal
Location: Yucatan, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: A relaxing site to visit.
115.
Fortifications at Campeche
Name: Historic Fortified Town of Campeche
Location: Campeche, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A realtively easy city to ride into.
116.
El Palacio at Palenque
Name: Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of Palenque
Location: Chiapas, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: I liked the hillside setting of this site.
117.
Oaxaca Cathedral
Name: Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: I enjoyed both sections of this site.
118.
Puebla Centro
Name: Historic Centre of Puebla
Location: Puebla, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 5
Comment: One of the larger cities in Mexico, so a little hectic.
119.
Calpan Monastery
Name: Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl
Location: Morelos and Puebla, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: I saw two of the monastaries, at Calpan and Huetotzingo.
120.
Pyramids at Teotihuacan
Name: Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan
Location: Mexico, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: Surprisingly pleasant site to visit, despite proximity to Mexico City.
121.
A church in Querétaro
Name: Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro
Location: Querétaro, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: A nice city center, though a little tough to ride into.
122.
Parroquia San Miguel Arcangel, San Miguel de Allende
Name: Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
Location: Guanajuato, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: This site was added to the list just weeks before I arrived (Thanks, UNESCO).
123.
Teatro Juarez, Guanajuato
Name: Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines
Location: Guanajuato, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 8
Tour-Friendly Factor: 6
Comment: I enjoyed this town a lot, though a little tough to ride into.
124.
Government Building in Zacatecas
Name: Historic Centre of Zacatecas
Location: Zacatecas, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 7
Tour-Friendly Factor: 7
Comment: A very pretty town.
125.
Adobe Ruins at Paquime
Name: Archeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes
Location: Chihuahua, Mexico
Type: Cultural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 6
Tour-Friendly Factor: 9
Comment: Ruins have been eroded considerably, though the museum is nice.
126.
The Grand Canyon
Name: Grand Canyon National Park
Location: Arizona, USA
Type: Natural
Official Site: ~ Go There ~
Amazement Factor: 10
Tour-Friendly Factor: 8
Comment: A grand place to end the Tour.
UPDATE (January 02014):
Here are recent additions to the list that I also saw during the Tour:
~ Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (02010) ~ Go There ~
~ Rio de Janeiro (02012) ~ Go There ~
~ Leon Cathedral (02011) ~ Go There ~
These sites now bring my total to 128. Several other recent additions are located tantilizingly close to the Tour route. Had I known at the time that their inclusions were forthcoming, I surely could have increased my count further.
UPDATE (January 02015):One new addition brings my total to 130!
~ Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System (2014) ~ Go There ~
UPDATE (July 02018):
Now at 131!
~ Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (2018) ~ Go There ~
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Why These Places Are Special
Beginning on 01978, the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has evaluated important places around the globe to determine those with universal values to humanity, and to aid in their understanding and preservation. Since that time 878 (as of 02008) properties have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. In what is surely a process fraught with political intrigue, reams of paperwork, and lengthy discussions, new sites are first proposed by individual nations, and then evaluated for inscription by the Committee. Though my including it here will certainly infuriate teams of lawyers, here are the selection guidelines:
(shamelessly clipped from THIS page)
- to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
- to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
- to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
- to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
- to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
- to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);
- to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
- to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
- to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
- to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.
The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.
Since 1992 significant interactions between people and the natural environment have been recognized as cultural landscapes.
(End of UNESCO text)