Biweekly · Year 01 · Number 36 · 15,000 copies · 16 Pages
June 25-July 8, 2014
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LOCAL Tulum Monkey Sanctuary Rehoming spider monkeys and other animals that have previously been held in captivity in Quintana Roo.
>03 ·SPECIAL · DISCOVER MEXICO
Calakmul
Awarded World Heritage Natural and Cultural Site Status BY CARLOS UNDERWOOD
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n June 21, the World Heritage Committee declared the Ancient Mayan City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul in Campeche as Mexico’s first UNESCO Mixed Natural and Cultural Site. The decision was taken in Doha, the Qatari capital, where UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee gathered to consider the recognition of 40 new listings. The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) stated that the area recently accepted on to UNESCO´s list “is in the south of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, which is the largest tropical
ecological reserve in Mexico, taking up nearly 2,800 square miles. It falls within the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which is the third largest in the world and encompasses all subtropical and tropical ecosystems from Central Mexico to the Panama Canal.” The Ancient City of Calakmul was declared a Protected Natural Area in 1989 by the federal government. In 2002, UNESCO declared it a Cultural Site and at this year’s 38th annual meeting extended its status to a mixed natural and cultural property. The protected area has increased by 1,300 square miles and includes 38 Mayan structures. The Calakmul Biosphere Re-
Five out of Mexico’s six wild cats can be found in the Calakmul Bioreserve
serve is also home to 86 species of mammals, including five out of the six Mexican big cats, as well as 282 species of birds, 50 reptile species, 400 species of butterflies and 73 orchid species. According to INAH, the area “includes a mosaic formed by various tropical forest ecosystems and complex ecological networks.” Calakmul is located 146 miles west of Chetumal in the south of the Yucatan Peninsula, 22 miles from the Guatemalan border. It was known as the seat of the Kingdom of the Snake and thought to have had a population of around 50,000. The site was rediscovered from the air by American biologist Cyrus Longworth Lundell in 1931.
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Calakmul comprises of 6,750 structures, including a central pyramid measuring 148 ft., making it one of the tallest Mesoamerican pyramids. The remains are witnesses to a civilization that suddenly disappeared between the ninth and 10th century and may help decode the decline of Mayan empire. Mexico has 32 sites listed as World Heritage Sites, the largest number of all the Americas. The World Heritage Committee, who also announced a 10 million dollar fund to protect sites affected by natural disasters or conflicts, unanimously supported Calakmul´s candidacy that was proposed by INAH and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP).
Riviera Highlights Discover Cozumel, one of the Caribbean´s most popular diving destinations, in our section for independent travelers.
>08 ENTERPRISE FOCUS
Business Brief
We visited Kava Kasa, Mexico’s first Kava Lounge. Serving kava root, a traditional drink from the South Pacific.
Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi
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