Sian Ka’an’s 40th Anniversary Celebrated with Maya Culture

Chetumal, January 28. With poetry readings and pre-Hispanic music, academic staff and students from the Autonomous University of the State of Quintana Roo, Felipe Carrillo Puerto campus, participated in the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. The event took place on January 26 at the Santa Teresa station, considered the heart of this protected natural area, where the importance of uniting culture, science, and environmental conservation was highlighted.

The university participation included the presentation of the group Jobón Pax, which performed pieces with pre-Hispanic instruments. Among the pieces performed were Yuum Cháak, the rain deity, which coincided with a light drizzle, and the ceremonial áalkab kéej, related to dance and growth, highlighting the ancestral connection between nature and Maya cultural expressions.

During the event, academic Ever Marcelino Canul Góngora shared unpublished poems focused on the environment, wild flora, and fauna, which will be part of an upcoming book. The researcher explained that the presence of UQRoo in Sian Ka’an occurs within a framework of collaboration with institutions such as the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas, strengthening joint work in favor of conservation.

Sian Ka’an, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covers an extensive area and is part of an environmental complex that extends across several municipalities in the southern part of the state. Authorities of the natural area emphasized that it is a key zone for biodiversity, home to species such as the jaguar and manatee, and with a unique system of underground rivers, reaffirming the need to preserve this natural heritage for future generations.