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The importance of Tehuacán-Cuicatlán lies in the great floristic diversity of the area. Contrary to popular belief, dry tropical regions that abound in southeastern Mexico are not poor in biodiversity. Some studies, such as those by
Rzedowski in 1973 and 1978, have led to the conceptualization of the
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One of the most exceptional ecological features from the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley is its columnar cacti forest, one of the highest concentrations of columnar cacti in the world. Forty-five of the seventy species reported in Mexico are in this central portion of the country. These species are the
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The climate of the region is warm semi-dry and warm semi-tropical in the region of the
Cuicatec with moderate rains scarce in the summer. In the high parts of the mountains it is common to see that the mountains are topped by a thick fog that rarely comes to condense in the form a modest drizzle.
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Among vertebrates, the biosphere reserve has 18 fish species and 27 amphibian species, which is a high diversity compared to the deserts of North
America and Australia. It has also 85 reptile species, of which 20 are endemic and 338 bird species, of which 16 are endemic.
359:, which include a diverse array of terraces, canals, wells, aqueducts and dams. The UNESCO World Heritage designation – Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica – recognizes the valley's outstanding biodiversity and its archeological significance.
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is a protected natural area located in southeastern Mexico. Its name derives from its two main locations: Cuicatlán and Tehuacán, in the latter are their administrative offices, covers 490,186 hectares distributed among 21 municipalities in the state of
354:
The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valley is an important archeological site, which records 12,000 years of human inhabitation. There is ancient evidence of plant domestication, as well as the earliest known irrigation works in
308:
area as a
Floristic Province, belonging to the Mexican xerophytic Phytogeographical Region. In 1965, Smith had suggested that a third of the plant species that populate the surface of Tehuacán-Cuicatlán valleys were
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dominant component in a total of nine plant communities which are mostly endemic to Tehuacán-Cuicatlán. The area also contains xeric shrub, tropical deciduous forest, pine forest, pine-oak, and cloud forest.
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271:, which flows southeastward through the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys. The Cuicatlán Valley is partly in the basin northwestward-flowing Grande River, which joins the Salado to form the
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Due to its endemic species, endangered species, and its rare floristic species, the site is an IUCN world biodiversity hotspot.
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in the south. The most outstanding mountain range is the Sierra
Zongolica and the Sierra Mazatec, which is characterized by its
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The Sierra Madre de Oaxaca consists of several sub-ranges: Sierra
Zongolica in the north, Mazatec Sierra in the middle and the
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ecoregion, comprising more than a third of the species recorded. Tropical dry deciduous forest, an outlier of the
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ecoregion, covers the
Cuicatlán Valley. The mountain slopes are home to oak and pine–oak forests, part of the
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The predominant flora in the Tehuacán Valley is scrubland or matorral, part of the
275:. The Santo Domingo flows eastward through the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca to join the
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The broad Tehuacán and
Cuicatlán valleys extend northwest–southeast, between the
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to the west. Wetter areas on the mountain slopes are home to pockets of
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638:"Tehuacán-Cuicatlán - UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory"
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Earliest 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of
Popocatépetl
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Earliest 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of
Popocatépetl
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to the west. Almost all of the reserve is in the basin of the
611:"Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica"
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VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila
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Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica
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El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve
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Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of
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Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro
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368:Flora in Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
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244:On July 2, 2018, the site was listed as a
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771:Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco
716:Rock Paintings of Sierra de San Francisco
24:Reserva de la biosfera Tehuacán-Cuicatlán
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230:The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve
884:Pre-Hispanic City and National Park of
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325:Sierra Madre de Oaxaca pine–oak forests
913:Central University City Campus of the
329:Sierra Madre del Sur pine–oak forests
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142:4,900 km (1,900 sq mi)
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19:Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
945:Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
814:Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
807:Islands and Protected Areas of the
709:Islands and Protected Areas of the
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901:Archaeological Monuments Zone of
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290:topography cut by deep canyons.
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881:in the Central Valley of Oaxaca
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1067:Important Bird Areas of Mexico
1042:World Heritage Sites in Mexico
940:Luis Barragán House and Studio
721:Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino
685:World Heritage Sites in Mexico
1:
925:Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
803:Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara
737:Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
484:Cephalocereus columna-trajani
1037:Biosphere reserves of Mexico
991:Sian Kaʼan Biosphere Reserve
467:Pilosocereus quadricentralis
978:Historic Fortified Town of
908:Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque
867:and Archaeological Site of
846:Historic Monuments Zone of
752:Historic Monuments Zone of
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161:UNESCO World Heritage Site
1052:Protected areas of Puebla
1047:Protected areas of Oaxaca
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950:Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley
792:Revillagigedo Archipelago
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123:18.2113889°N 97.3994444°W
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38:
28:
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1057:Tehuacán Valley matorral
317:Tehuacán Valley matorral
698:Archaeological Zone of
128:18.2113889; -97.3994444
1072:Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
700:Paquimé, Casas Grandes
552:Coryphantha calipensis
535:Mammillaria supertexta
450:Pachycereus marginatus
261:Sierra Madre de Oaxaca
995:Pre-Hispanic Town of
984:Pre-Hispanic City of
954:Pre-Hispanic City of
873:Prehistoric Caves of
834:Pre-Hispanic City of
767:San Miguel de Allende
570:Prosthechea vitellina
519:Mammillaria polyedra
327:to the east and the
263:to the east and the
1009:Shared by more one
929:Historic Centre of
863:Historic Centre of
840:Historic Centre of
796:Historic Centre of
746:Historic Centre of
397:Ferocactus robustus
273:Santo Domingo River
249:World Heritage Site
119: /
1062:Balsas dry forests
809:Gulf of California
765:Protected town of
762:and Adjacent Mines
711:Gulf of California
502:Mammillaria carnea
432:Pachycereus weberi
321:Balsas dry forests
200:Reference no.
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758:Historic Town of
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92:Nearest city
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1032:IUCN Category VI
910:Hydraulic System
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644:"Licensing page"
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265:Sierra Mixteca
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895:South Central
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214:North America
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168:Official name
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31:IUCN category
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986:Chichén Itzá
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333:cloud forest
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269:Salado River
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956:Teotihuacán
931:Mexico City
869:Monte Albán
848:Tlacotalpan
357:Mesoamerica
147:Established
126: /
102:Coordinates
1026:Categories
965:South East
935:Xochimilco
903:Xochicalco
857:South West
760:Guanajuato
692:North West
597:References
414:Agave spp.
350:Archeology
277:Papaloapan
192:Designated
114:97°23′58″W
111:18°12′41″N
754:Querétaro
748:Zacatecas
255:Geography
187:(iv), (x)
980:Campeche
973:Calakmul
886:Palenque
836:El Tajín
769:and the
184:Criteria
96:Tehuacán
74:Location
798:Morelia
363:Gallery
310:endemic
303:Ecology
294:Climate
1011:region
865:Oaxaca
842:Puebla
615:UNESCO
246:UNESCO
239:Oaxaca
235:Puebla
210:Region
86:Mexico
82:Puebla
80:, and
78:Oaxaca
997:Uxmal
879:Mitla
875:Yagul
288:karst
179:Mixed
933:and
915:UNAM
877:and
823:East
780:West
237:and
204:1534
195:2018
176:Type
150:2012
139:Area
1028::
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84:,
975:,
677:e
670:t
663:v
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617:.
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