🌵 Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: originary habitat of Mesoamerica
Zapotitlán - Cuicatlán, Mexico
📋 Fast Facts
- Inscribed as a UNESCO mixed World Heritage Site in 2018
- Covers approximately 145,000 hectares across Puebla and Oaxaca states
- Archaeological evidence of maize domestication dating back over 7,000 years
- One of the world's highest concentrations of endemic columnar cacti species
The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning parts of Puebla and Oaxaca in south-central Mexico. Recognized for both cultural and natural significance, the valley represents the originary habitat of Mesoamerica—the region where early agricultural domestication transformed human societies. The Zapotitlán-Cuicatlán area within this larger valley exemplifies the convergence of ecological richness, archaeological importance, and living cultural traditions ...