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human history. The technological ensemble of water management of the
Tehuacán- Cuicatlán Valley, along with other archaeological evidences such as
the remains found in caves, plant domestication sites, salt ponds, and pottery
marks a stage of the utmost importance for the Mesoamerican region: the appearance and development of one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Located
throughout The Valley, these technologies bear unique evidence of the constant
adaptation of humans to the environment and reflect their innovative capacity to
face the adverse environmental conditions in the area. Also, the vast production
of salt and pottery allows us to understand the social organization of the area
since pre-Hispanic times, as well as the modernization and commercial development of The Valley.
• Criterion (x): contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in
situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened
species of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science or conservation. The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: original habitat of Mesoamerica is
the arid or semiarid zone with the greatest biological diversity in North America.
It is a world biodiversity hotspot that contains biomes characterized by high levels of endemic and endangered species, rare flora, and plant communities. Its
faunistic diversity surpasses that of any other drylands of the planet and, moreover, it is an outstanding agrobiodiversity center. It is also a world center of
diversification for numerous groups of plants. The Property includes 22 archaeological sites that exemplify the adaptation process of human being to an inhospitable place (CONANP-INAH 2016).
• Caves, which are the reflection of the first settlements from nomadic to sedentary, with rock paintings of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures that illustrate what those civilizations would see in their environment. There are also
records of their eating habits and subsistence patterns. Some of these materials
correspond to animal bones, kitchen tools such as metates, different types of
seeds and fruits. Perhaps the most surprising evidences is the adaptation process,
domestication of plants such as avocado, corn, pepper, and amaranth, hunting,
the weaving of baskets, and the use of ceramics.
• Terraces, which were built to have flat areas where to make their settlements and
squares.
• Archaeological sites, they show the development of civilizations in settlements
that were used civically and ceremonially.
• Water management. Considering it is an arid area, the main and surprising development of water management strategies are remarkable. In the Dam’s area, it
was found an structure which was built to control water. It is considered one of
the largest dams in Mesoamerica, approximately equivalent to the volume of the
Moon Pyramid in Teotihuacán with 24 m high, 106 m wide and 400 m long, and
which represents the expansion of water irrigation in The Valley. Aqueducts and
canals that supported the water distribution comprise a wide network.
• Salines, the salt exploitation was another legacy which allowed people to adapt
in The Valley. This activity was one of the most recognized by the old settlers,
developing a technique that it continues to be used nowadays.
13 International Recognition of the Biocultural Protection in Dryland Regions…
human history. The technological ensemble of water management of the
Tehuacán- Cuicatlán Valley, along with other archaeological evidences such as
the remains found in caves, plant domestication sites, salt ponds, and pottery
marks a stage of the utmost importance for the Mesoamerican region: the appearance and development of one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Located
throughout The Valley, these technologies bear unique evidence of the constant
adaptation of humans to the environment and reflect their innovative capacity to
face the adverse environmental conditions in the area. Also, the vast production
of salt and pottery allows us to understand the social organization of the area
since pre-Hispanic times, as well as the modernization and commercial development of The Valley.
• Criterion (x): contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in
situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened
species of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science or conservation. The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley: original habitat of Mesoamerica is
the arid or semiarid zone with the greatest biological diversity in North America.
It is a world biodiversity hotspot that contains biomes characterized by high levels of endemic and endangered species, rare flora, and plant communities. Its
faunistic diversity surpasses that of any other drylands of the planet and, moreover, it is an outstanding agrobiodiversity center. It is also a world center of
diversification for numerous groups of plants. The Property includes 22 archaeological sites that exemplify the adaptation process of human being to an inhospitable place (CONANP-INAH 2016).
• Caves, which are the reflection of the first settlements from nomadic to sedentary, with rock paintings of zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures that illustrate what those civilizations would see in their environment. There are also
records of their eating habits and subsistence patterns. Some of these materials
correspond to animal bones, kitchen tools such as metates, different types of
seeds and fruits. Perhaps the most surprising evidences is the adaptation process,
domestication of plants such as avocado, corn, pepper, and amaranth, hunting,
the weaving of baskets, and the use of ceramics.
• Terraces, which were built to have flat areas where to make their settlements and
squares.
• Archaeological sites, they show the development of civilizations in settlements
that were used civically and ceremonially.
• Water management. Considering it is an arid area, the main and surprising development of water management strategies are remarkable. In the Dam’s area, it
was found an structure which was built to control water. It is considered one of
the largest dams in Mesoamerica, approximately equivalent to the volume of the
Moon Pyramid in Teotihuacán with 24 m high, 106 m wide and 400 m long, and
which represents the expansion of water irrigation in The Valley. Aqueducts and
canals that supported the water distribution comprise a wide network.
• Salines, the salt exploitation was another legacy which allowed people to adapt
in The Valley. This activity was one of the most recognized by the old settlers,
developing a technique that it continues to be used nowadays.
13 International Recognition of the Biocultural Protection in Dryland Regions…