Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve

Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve is home to Zea diploperennis, the wild perennial teosinte discovered in 1977 that is the ancestor of all cultivated corn—a discovery that fundamentally reshaped global corn breeding. The reserve's cloud forests host over 2,600 vascular plant species, a count 20% higher than the average Mexican cloud forest. This biodiversity surpasses #6 Sumidero Canyon's 1,000-meter gorge ecosystem in richness, making it a cornerstone for plant genetics. The discovery's impact on agricultural research remains unmatched.