Overview

• UNESCO World Heritage Committee unanimously inscribed the Ruta Wixárika on July 12, 2025 during its 47th session in Paris.
• The designation marks the first living indigenous tradition in Latin America to join the World Heritage List.
• The serial cultural corridor spans approximately 550 kilometres across Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Durango and San Luis Potosí and links 20 sacred Wixárika sites.
• Recognition activates international legal protections under UNESCO conventions and integrates with Mexico’s 2022 sacred sites decree and the 2023 Presidential Commission framework.
• ICOMOS has urged stronger monitoring, community education and law enforcement to mitigate risks from unregulated spiritual tourism, peyote overharvesting, mining concessions and urban expansion.