National Park Service Launches New Web Site to
Highlight Hispanic Heritage Parks
The new web site is part of an Iberian Project

WASHINGTON National Park Service Director Fran Mainella today announced the availability of a new web site designed to highlight the importance of Hispanic Heritage Parks and the part they play in the nation's history. The new site titled, "Hispanic Heritage Parks: An Iberian Project," assists visitors in experiencing the nation's Hispanic heritage that is preserved and interpreted throughout the National Park Service.

"We are proud of the rich Hispanic heritage that exists in parks throughout our country," said National Park Service Director Fran Mainella. "From Puerto Rico to Alaska, many of these parks have a direct connection to the Iberian Peninsula."

The new web site is part of an Iberian Project dedicated to the several parks in the national park system of Iberian or Spanish heritage. The site encourages a virtual electronic tour of all parks in the national park system of Hispanic heritage. Visitors can log onto www.nps.gov in order to access this special program, which is prepared in English and Spanish.

The Iberian Peninsula consists today of Portugal and Spain. It is an area surrounded by water except for its northern boundary with France. The Mediterranean Sea is to the east and to the west is the Atlantic Ocean. In the south, the Strait of Gibraltar separates the Iberian Peninsula from northern Africa. During the 15th and 16th centuries the nations of Portugal and Spain pioneered the European discovery of sea routes that opened the first channels of interaction among all of the world's continents.

Part of the NPS mission focuses on the preservation, education, and interpretation of the heritage of the United States a multidimensional heritage represented by 388 units throughout the national park system. This multidimensional heritage includes the history of the Spanish Colonial period, preserved in various units of the national park system. This important chapter of American history is shared with you through the units mentioned below and through other parks that preserve our rich Hispanic heritage.

National Park Units of Iberian or Spanish Heritage

" Coronado National Memorial Arizona
" Tumacacori National Historical Park Arizona
" Cabrillo National Monument California

" Channel Islands National Park California
" Fort Point National Historic Site California
" John Muir National Historical Site California
" Point Reyes National Seashore California
" Biscayne National Park Florida
" Castillo de San Marcos National Monument Florida
" De Soto National Memorial Florida
" Fort Matanzas National Monument Florida
" El Morro National Monument New Mexico
" Pecos National Historical Park New Mexico
" Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument New Mexico
" San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Texas
" San Juan National Historic Site Puerto Rico

NPS

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
Hispanic Heritage Parks Web Page
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