The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Documents WHC-14/38.COM/8B, WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B1 and WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B2,
- Approves the extension and re-nomination of the Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche, to include the protected tropical forests of Calakmul and become the Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (ix) and (x);
- Takes note of the following provisional Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
Brief synthesis
Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico is a Renomination and Extension of the existing 3,000 ha cultural World Heritage property, Ancient Maya City of Calakmul, Campeche. The property is located in the central/southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, in southern Mexico. The total area of the extended property is 331,397 ha, surrounded by a buffer zone of 391,788 ha, both totals the area of the entire Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.
This property, while nowadays completely uninhabited and covered by tropical forest, is the heartland of the area in which, from the mid-first millennium B.C. to about A.D. 1000, one of the most splendid civilizations in human history reached its climax, but where it also suffered the most dramatic downfall, resulting in an almost complete abandonment of formerly flourishing settlements. Since the area has, thereupon, remained virtually depopulated, it represents an exceptional testimony to a long-living civilization, offering unique possibilities for archaeological research and presentation of its results.
Being located at the core of the second largest expanse of tropical forests in America, only surpassed by the Amazon jungle in South America, the area represents a singular case of adaptation to, and management of, a natural environment that, at a first glance, seems little appropriate for the development of urban civilization. The colonization of the territory, the population growth and the evolution of complex, state-organized societies are attested in a wide variety of material vestiges. Apart from Calakmul, the largest archaeological site, where the Kaan, one of the most powerful Maya dynasties, had its seat during the Late Classic, remains of dozens of other ancient settlements have been found in the area, including several major urban centers with huge architectural complexes and sculpted monuments. Along with settlement remains, the inter-site and intra-site roads (sacbés), defensive systems, quarries, water management features (such as reservoirs and artificially modified aguadas or water ponds), agricultural terraces and other land modifications related with subsistence strategies are also constituent parts of the extremely rich and exceptionally well preserved ancient cultural landscape.
During excavations carried out so far at Calakmul and Uxul, spectacular stucco friezes and mural paintings have been found in some of the massive temple pyramids and palaces, as well as burials of kings and other members of nobility, containing a rich variety of body ornaments and other accompanying objects, such as elaborate jade masks, ear spools and exquisite polychrome pottery vessels. The hieroglyphic inscriptions on stelae, altars and building elements reveal important facts about the territorial organization and political history, and some epigraphic records are entirely unique, providing information that has not been found anywhere else in the Maya Area.
The inscriptional evidence, the characteristics of architecture and urban layouts, pottery styles, tool kits and funerary objects – information collected at a number of sites surveyed in the area, as well as through excavations at some of them – indicate the existence of extensive trade networks and exchange of ideas with the neighboring regions, but they also reflect original and ingenious local developments. While a version of the so-called Peten style prevails in monumental buildings, a peculiar architectural style developed in the northeastern part of the area during the Late Classic period (ca. A.D. 600-900), being characterized by elegant towers and intricate stone mosaic decoration of facades, including the so-called zoomorphic entrances. The far reaching appeal of this magnificent and completely singular style, called Rio Bec, is evidenced in the adoption of its characteristic elements, after A.D. 800, at sites as distant as El Tigre to the southwest, in the Candelaria river basin, and Kohunlich to the east, in the state of Quintana Roo. To what extent the evolution of these diverging architectural expressions reflects the ever changing political geography, including the role of the Kaan dynasty and its alliances and conflicts with the neighboring polities, is obviously a question of foremost importance, which can only be solved by future research.
Finally, due to the exceptionally well preserved and rich archaeological heritage, the potential of the area for clarifying the still poorly understood processes that resulted in the collapse of the Classic Maya civilization in the 9th and 10th centuries cannot be overstated.
For the natural component, the mature forests of Calakmul, with their current structure and floristic composition, are extraordinary evidence of the long interaction between man and nature. Largely the result of ancient agricultural and forestry practices of the Maya, they combine complex processes of human selection and the regeneration of natural systems. Traditional management practices of indigenous communities who still inhabit the region, outside the property, are evidence of ancient Mayan practices.
These humid and sub-humid tropical forests develop in a geological province under seasonal dry conditions, and karst soils. Given the particular environmental conditions, such as reduced availability of water and moisture, presence of fire and hurricanes, and karst soils, here the flora and fauna of wetland ecosystems have developed adaptations to these seasonal dry conditions. For such factors, Calakmul Tropical Forests could be considered as one of the most resilient ecosystems in the continent and these features could be relevant for biodiversity conservation in a climate change context. Still, the site is an important water catchment area, a key factor as it represents a critical habitat for a number of endemic and threatened species.
It is also the area with great abundance of wildlife. The Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche, hosts rich biodiversity, that were very appreciated by the Mayans and represented in their paintings, pottery, sculptures, rituals, food and arts in general. Several of the species are considered threaten and in danger. The property has the greatest diversity of mammals in the Mayan region. It is home to two of the three species of primates, two of the four edentates and five of the six wildcat species (felines) that exist in Mexico.
The location of the property also increases its importance as the centre of the connectivity of the Selva Maya, with corridors that provide ecological continuity to forests in the region (Mexico, Guatemala and Belize) and allow the conservation of biodiversity and development of dynamic ecological and evolutionary processes of species. They also help maintain populations of species with high spatial requirements, as are the animals with local migrations (butterflies, parrots, waterfowl, bats), and large predators with large displacement capacity, such as the jaguar, puma and several birds of prey.
Criterion (i): As a whole, the area is unique in that it preserves largely intact vestiges of the relatively rapid development of a splendid urban civilization in a hostile environment of tropical forest. The information available for research is vital for understanding multiple aspects of Maya culture and its evolution in the central lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula. The archaeological sites in the area (13 major urban centers and some 40 secondary centers and minor sites have been recorded so far) constitute remnants of at least 1500 years (from ca. 500 B.C. to A.D. 1000) of intensive population growth and evolution of social complexity, conditioned by a successful adaptation to the inhospitable natural setting and accompanied by technological achievements and cultural development in general, which is reflected in splendid architecture, hieroglyphic writing, sculpted monuments and other unique pieces of fine arts.
Criterion (ii): Pertaining to the Preclassic and Classic Maya civilization, the cultural aspects of the property include a mixture of autochthonous developments and exchange of ideas with the neighboring regions. The creative combination of different traditions resulted in specific architectural styles, unique pieces of fine arts and ingenious modifications of natural landscape. While Calakmul, the largest site in the area, displays 120 commemorative stelae with relief carvings, including hieroglyphic inscriptions with important information on regional political history and territorial organization, a number of monuments of this kind have also been found at other major and medium centers, such as La Muñeca, Uxul, Oxpemul, Balakbal, Champerico, Altamira and Cheyokolnah. The date corresponding to A.D. 396, recorded on three stelae at Candzibaantún, is the earliest date known so far on the Maya monuments in Mexico, whereas Altar 3 of Altar de los Reyes, with its 13 emblem glyphs (names of dynasties), not only sheds light on important aspects of the Classic Maya political geography, but is also entirely unique: no other monument featuring so many emblem glyphs is known in the whole Maya Area! Excavations at Calakmul have unveiled stucco facades illustrating important religious concepts (Structure II), extraordinary murals that shed light on the little known and rarely depicted daily life (ChiikNahb acropolis), as well as royal burials with rich accoutrements, including jade masks, polychrome pottery and other objects of outstanding artistic value. As revealed by extensive surveys throughout area, the location of important centers, regularly in the immediate vicinity of seasonally flooded wetlands, obey the latter’s agricultural potential, whereas the astronomical orientations of important civic and ceremonial buildings, recording agriculturally important moments of the year, reflect both practical uses of astronomical knowledge, which facilitated an efficient scheduling of subsistence activities, and its embeddedness in religion, world view and political ideology. Also present at several major sites are ritual ball courts, defensive walls and quarries, as well as water reservoirs and other land modifications related with intensive agriculture and fresh water procurement, which indicate highly sophisticated ways of adaptation to the karst environment of the Yucatan peninsula. Furthermore, the roads (sacbés) connecting different settlements represent another engineering achievement attesting to the importance of communication routes and trade networks.
Criterion (iii): The property witnessed an unprecedented growth of an extraordinary civilization, which came to an abrupt end at the end of the Classic period. Considering that, after the dramatic population decline evidenced in the abandonment of virtually all the settlements in the 9th and 10th centuries A.D., the area has ever since remained practically uninhabited and has suffered little recent intervention (limited to wood and chicle sap exploitation in the 20th Century), it represents an exceptional testimony to a long-living civilization and offering a unique possibility to understand both the foundations of its florescence and the causes of its collapse.
Criterion (iv): The archaeological sites in the property contain some unrivalled examples of Maya monumental architecture, mostly pertaining to the so-called Peten tradition in the core area and the Rio Bec style confined to its northeastern fringes. While the first is exemplified by palaces and huge temple pyramids at sites such as Calakmul, Yaxnohcah and Balakbal, which mirror the growth of social complexity during the Preclassic and Early Classic periods, the second represents a unique in kind Late Classic development, characterized by false pyramid temples, normally in the shape of elegant twin towers, and impressive stone mosaic façade decorations. Since the epigraphic records show that the Classic period political geography of the area was overwhelmed by the Kaan, one of the most powerful royal dynasties, which in the Late Classic moved its capital city from Dzibanché to Calakmul, the protection measures implemented in the property should facilitate future research, which is expected to clarify whether, or to what extent, the political domination of the Kaan dynasty, and its alliances and rivalries with the neighboring polities, are reflected in the diverging trajectories of cultural development.
Criterion (ix): The mature tropical forests of Calakmul provide extraordinary evidence of the long-standing interaction between man and nature, insofar as they display a floristic composition and structure largely resulting from thousand-year old Maya agricultural and forestry practices, which intertwine processes of human selection and regeneration of natural systems, both considered traditional management practices among native communities still inhabiting in the buffer zone and surrounding areas. These processes resulted in a complex mosaic of tropical forests communities which allows complex ecological and trophic networks. It is also an important area for water recharging for the whole Yucatan Peninsula, a key factor in the development of the Maya Culture in the Ancient City of Calakmul and its surroundings.
Criterion (x): The tropical rain forest vegetation of the Property and the region of Calakmul, developed under particular seasonal dry conditions, contains a rich biodiversity and critical habitats for a number of endemic and threatened species and populations. The species are adapted to particular geomorphological and environmental conditions, such as the reduced availability of water and moisture, the presence of forest fires and hurricanes, and karst soils, conditions that impose strong limitations on the growth of plants characteristic of moister tropical forests. The resulted resilience of this tropical rainforests is a unique and relevant argument for its nomination. The area contains the greatest abundance of wildlife and the highest diversity of mammals in the Mayan Region; it is home to two out of the three species of primates, two out of the four species of edentates, and five out of the six feline species (cats) existing in Mexico.
Integrity
The property is located in the heart of the second largest extension of tropical forest in America, one of the best conserved in the region and the centre of connectivity in the Selva Maya. These ecosystems are the product of evolution and adaptation under prevailing environmental influences, which in turn were modified significantly by the management practices of the Mayan culture that inhabited the region continually for more than 1,500 years.
The various ecological elements and attributes that contains, make these tropical forests clear examples of biodiversity conservation, in terms of species, structures and ecological functions. The recovery of some of the species has been favoured by the presence of water collecting depressions, the aguadas and "chultunes", a type of water reservoirs used by the Mayans, which today are of vital importance for the survival of these tropical species.
The Property has exceptional ecological and cultural integrity, even though there has been no significant human intervention since the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve was established as a natural protected area in 1989, it remains the environment in which developed one of the great ancient cultures of the world, the Maya, whose legacy is present not only in the cities but in the agroforestry practices who made the beautiful tropical forests of Calakmul.
Authenticity
The region has been continuous occupied for over 1500 years. It constitutes a unique example of the formation and development of a cultural group for which Calakmul can be considered the guiding axis and strategic centre in regard to all the surrounding sites with archaeological evidence, which at some point in history coexisted with the ancient Maya City and its surroundings. Calakmul encouraged symbolic processes that were directly reflected in architectural styles, social, family, political and religious relationships, and the sharing of experiences, ideas and beliefs. The chronological periods represented by the archaeological sites included in the property, demonstrate the space-time relationship of these with comparison to Calakmul.
Calakmul and the other 37 archaeological sites within the property were part of a settlement system that depended on the surrounding ecosystem for its supporting agricultural and forestry activities. Evidence of these still exists in the form of raised fields, channels and reservoirs.
Protection and management requirements
The property protection is guaranteed due to its location within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, established in 1989 as a Natural Protected Area. The management of the whole property and its buffer zone corresponds to the Federal Government, through the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (ComisiónNacional de ÁreasNaturalesProtegidas / CONANP), for the Natural Heritage, in coordination with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (InstitutoNacional de Antropología e Historia / INAH), responsible for the Cultural Heritage.
Legal instruments needed for the management of the property, where cultural and natural elements coincide in the same area, are in place. Almost 90% of the land surface of the site is Federally owned and all archaeological monuments that are included in it, already are legally protected.
- Commends the State Party for the active involvement of local and indigenous communities, academic and research institutions, NGOs, and authorities at all levels of government, in the protection and management of the protected area of Calakmul Biosphere Reserve and the archaeological monuments;
- Recognizes the important work of the Advisory Council which coordinates the protection and management activities of the Cultural and Natural authorities (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia-INAH and Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas-CONANP), and all other relevant stakeholders and encourages the State Party to strengthen this coordinating mechanism for the governance of the mixed property;
- Requests the State Party to build upon the existing coordination for the protection and management archaeological and the natural heritage in order to establish an integrated Plan for the Protection and Management of the property as a mixed site, and to provide adequate financial resources for the effective functioning of this integrated plan;
- Also requests the State Party to submit, by 1 December 2015, such joint Management Plan and report the progress achieved in the strengthening of the Advisory Council as a coordination mechanism for the protection and management at the mixed property;
- Further requests the State Party to consider in the future a revision of the boundaries of the property to include additional identified cultural sites within and around it that relate to Calakmul as well as to assure that the buffer zone is configured in a way designed to protect the property;
- Encourages the State Party to continue its technical and financial support for Natural and Cultural studies, that will continue to reveal new sites and updated information of the Mayan Culture, as well as of the tropical forests environment, where it flourished;
- Requests moreover the State Party to strengthen the monitoring system for the Cultural and Natural values, and submit a report on progress achieved, by 1 December 2015, to be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.