World Heritage Identification Number: 840
World Heritage since: 1999
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇺 Cuba
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
Map
Viñales Valley: A Unique Cultural Landscape in Cuba
The Viñales Valley, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, is a captivating and unique cultural landscape nestled within the Sierra de los Órganos mountains in western Cuba. Spanning over an area of approximately 132 square kilometers (51 square miles), the valley offers a mesmerizing blend of natural beauty and human ingenuity that reflects the rich cultural development of the Caribbean and Cuba.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The Viñales valley is encircled by mountains and its landscape is interspersed with dramatic rocky outcrops. Traditional techniques are still in use for agricultural production, particularly of tobacco. The quality of this cultural landscape is enhanced by the vernacular architecture of its farms and villages, where a rich multi-ethnic society survives, illustrating the cultural development of the islands of the Caribbean, and of Cuba.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iv):The Viñales valley is an outstanding karst landscape in which traditional methods of agriculture (notably tobacco growing) have survived unchanged for several centuries. The region also preserves a rich vernacular tradition in its architecture, its crafts, and its music.
Encyclopedia Record: Viñales Valley
Viñales Valley is a karstic depression in Cuba. The valley has an area of 132 km2 (51 sq mi) and is located in the Sierra de los Órganos mountains, just north of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province.Additional Site Details
Area: 13,200 hectares
Coordinates: 22.61667 , -83.71667
Image
© Severin.stalder, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
