The Alamo Granted World Heritage Site Status

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced that the San Antonio Missions, including The Alamo, were among a group of cultural sites added to the organization's World Heritage List. 

"The site encompasses a group of five frontier mission complexes situated along a stretch of the San Antonio River basin in southern Texas, as well as a ranch located 37 kilometres to the south. It includes architectural and archaeological structures, farmlands, residencies, churches and granaries, as well as water distribution systems," according to a July 5 announcement by UNESCO. The Associated Press also picked up the news of The Alamo's new status as a World Heritage Site.

The World Heritage List acknowledges special cultural and physical significance, and once on the list, sites are eligible for the World Heritage Fund. Over 1,000 sites are included on the list.

A series of July 5 announcements described the other sites added to the list. Among the other sites designated for the list, a group of 20 industrial sites in Japan from the 23 Meiji period (1868-1912) prompted coverage by Justin McCurry for The Guardian.