This reserve covers an area of 528,147 hectares and over 100 kilometers of the Great Maya Reef. Its name means "Where the Sky is Born".

The reserve is home to 23 archaeological sites featuring Mayan ruins, including the renown Muyil archaeological zone, Chenchomac, Chunyaxche, Vigía del Lago, Oxamach, Tampak and El Plantal. There is a 24 km long canal connecting Chancah Veracruz with the Bay of the Ascension. Inside the reserve several human burials, pottery and materials dating back to around 2,300 years have been discovered.

Only 2000 people live in Sian Ka’an, mostly in fishing villages located in the coastal area in Punta Allen, Punta Herrero and Javier Rojo Gómez.

The magnificence of this 1.3 million acre reserve includes numerous cenotes (freshwater sinkholes), some of which are interconnected with each other by underground rivers. It is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, composed of a delicate balance of ecosystems: tropical forests and coral reefs, mangroves and savannahs, impossibly blue lagoons and miles and miles of untouched beaches. This unique reserve also includes 120 kilometres of coastline, with the second longest Barrier Reef in the world.

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