Jardín Botánico Moxviquil

Located in the hills that surround to the north of San Cristóbal de las Casas, this botanical garden is the place where a "watcher of these flowers" takes care of some of its species and protects them from extinction.

Orquídeas Moxviquil was established in 1994 as a private initiative whose purpose was to preserve the endangered flora of Chiapas, and began with the rescue of specimens from sites disturbed by human activities. In 2002 Pronatura Sur formalized the collection by registering it as “Moxviquil Orchids” (OM) through an Environmental Management Unit (UMA), a mechanism defined by the Mexican state to manage wildlife.

Currently, the collection has 1,500 specimens belonging to 400 species of Chiapas orchids, thus representing 57.15% of the species found in the state and 33.34% nationwide. The collection is an invaluable research tool, as well as serving as a starting point for efforts to educate people about the fragility of ecosystems.