A municipality-promoted protected natural area anchoring the southern green belt of Mérida, Yucatán.
Cuxtal Ecological Reserve
Cuxtal Ecological Reserve is a Protected Natural Area in the southern portion of Mérida Municipality, in the state of Yucatán, southeastern Mexico. Covering more than ten thousand hectares of low deciduous forest and surrounding rural landscapes, the reserve combines ecological conservation with a long human and cultural history, including archaeological sites, cenotes, and seven preserved historic haciendas.
The reserve is notable as the first Protected Natural Area to be promoted and decreed directly by a municipality in the state of Yucatán, an arrangement that continues today. It supplies roughly half of the water consumed by the city of Mérida, making its forested core zone a critical source of groundwater for the metropolitan area.
Ecologically, Cuxtal protects habitats of the Yucatán Peninsula, supporting low deciduous forest vegetation, a rich birdlife dominated by migratory species, and Yucatán-endemic reptiles and mammals. Its mix of protected wilderness, agricultural buffer zones, rural communities, and cultural heritage gives it a distinctive character among Mexican protected areas.