Guatemala Proposes Mirador National Park for UNESCO World Heritage at COP21 Paris

Vice President Alfonso Fuentes Soria was in Paris at the UN Convention on Climate Change (COP21) this week and proposed that Mirador National Park be declared as a Mixed Natural and Cultural UNESCO World Heritage site. 

This proposed designation by the Guatemalan government is derived from its global value to mankind for its priceless cultural and natural patrimony.

Mirador, located in the north of Peten, is the first proposal for UNESCO World Heritage from Guatemala since 2002. Nearby Tikal National Park in Guatemala and Calakmul in Mexico already have this designation.

The Guatemalan government met with UNESCO Director General Ms. Irina Bokova who expressed interest to open a file to declare Mirador a Mixed Cultural and Natural World Heritage.

Mirador is one of the oldest and largest ancient Maya cities located in Peten, northern Guatemala.  

Facing imminent destruction from fires, lotting and illegal activities, new strategies are being proposed to sustainably develop the natural and archaeological resources of Mirador into a highly visited destination and generate reliable income and employment for local communities as park rangers, eco-guards and visitor guides.   

Morgan Freeman recently visited Mirador and called it "the first wonder of the world."