Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche

Deep in the rainforest of the Tierras Bajas in southern Campeche lie the ruins of Calakmul, a Maya superpower that shaped regional history for more than twelve centuries. Its pyramids still break above an unbroken green canopy belonging to the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, the world's third largest — reason enough for UNESCO to inscribe Calakmul in 2002 and later broaden the listing into a Mixed site embracing city and forest alike.