The pools of Cuatro Ciénegas (four marshes) in Coahuila’s Chihuahua Desert conceal a very old secret: the origins of life on Earth They are inhabited by colonies of bacteria-formed stromatolites organisms considered the inventors of photosynthesis They are formed by bacteria that use water carbon dioxide and sunlight to create food The real significance of stromatolites is that they are the earliest fossil evidence of how life began Cuatro Ciénegas is a unique biosphere — literally an oasis in the desert at an altitude of 740 meters the area owes its name to abundant springs that form extensive marshes and pools in the middle of the desert The city is formally known as Cuatro Ciénegas de Carranza The intriguing landscape is the result of a sea that emerged at the same time as the Sierra Madre Oriental Its folded and fractured marine rocks formed most of its mountain ranges and hills Two things immediately strike you about Cuatro Ciénegas: tomb-like silence and the surreal shroud that encases it Some say they feel currents of  occult energy flowing like fog It flows steadily through the transparent azure wells the energy is peaceful except by the old mines where it is sad you may hear your soul coming out to mingle with the soul of creation Some writers claim you need four-wheel drive to visit all sites of interest Pozo Azul and Las Dunas de Yeso are the two most photographed Next are Poza la Becerra and Río Mezquites Other attractions include the Bodegas Ferriño Winery and a spectacular canyon in the nearby mountains The gypsum dunes rise to 12 meters and resemble those of White Sands From 1979 to 1996 it was mined — scooped up — on an industrial scale at Cuatro Ciénegas Scientists believe there are clues to life on ancient Earth in the landscape — microbes There are live stromatolites in the pools and fossils on the edges These cauliflower-like sponges are relics of the earliest microbes on earth The area has been designated a biological reserve But farmers still extract water and miners and bucket loaders still shovel gypsum a United Nations-recognized biosphere reserve In 2007 president Felipe Calderón took a few baby steps to limit water extraction on the Chihuahua Desert Two things menace the springs — huge alfalfa farms that suck water from the aquifer and Arundo Donax an invasive  giant reed that threatens native species and the water supply Compared to my first trip three decades ago my guess is that 30% of the pools are gone or covered Meanwhile a debate rages about which herbicide will be safe enough to kill the invaders There are reputed to be more than 500 springs feeding the pools Water temperatures vary by season and pool Averages are 20 C in Poza Azul (winter) to a balmy 32 C in Poza Escobedo (summer) Swimming and camping are allowed only at Poza Becerra But we saw swimmers elsewhere who missed the memo If you don’t need a college-level lecture on the ecosystem On many paths there are signs describing the flora and fauna as well as in a remarkably good on-site museum the folks at the Plaza Hotel recommended Raúl a man in his 30s who spoke English and had a friendly He took us where we needed to go; told us what we needed to know The photographer wanted to do some astrophotography at the dunes The access road was blocked by a locked iron gate at night but Raúl had a key we went to the dunes and he shot to his heart’s content Owners of the few restaurants came out and greeted us like family We also visited President Carranza’s museum You can camp at Poza la Becerra or there are four good hotels There’s Hacienda del Caballo (1,200 pesos) San Pablo (840)  and the luxury Hacienda (1,800) inexpensive restaurants on the town square and at most hotels Cuatro Ciénegas is in northeastern Coahuila From Piedras Negras it’s 306 kilometers dry temperatures in the day and a little cooler at night October-November highs average 24-28 C with lows of 9-15 C Visiting the stromatolites at Cuatro Ciénegas is like going back four billion years to view the beginning of life “Mexico Mike” Nelson was a prolific author of books and articles about Mexico travel and culture in the 1980s and 1990s. Rumors of his demise are only partially true. He says he’s just been resting on his laurels. More of his work can be found at https://www.mexicomike.com ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC Get quality reporting directly into your inbox It was more than 20 years ago when Félix Lumbreras first saw with his own eyes that the Churince lagoon was disappearing The lagoon was once the largest body of water in Cuatrociénegas a UNESCO-recognized wetland nestled in a mountain valley in Mexico’s Chihuahuan desert whose name literally means “four marshes.” The last remnant of a prehistoric ocean that vanished as the earth’s continents were forming Cuatrociénegas is home to unique bacteria that scientists believe hold the key to understanding how life on earth began When Lumbreras visited in 2000 to measure water levels in the reserve he estimated the Churince lagoon had receded seven meters in a year When he returned seven or eight years later he found in its place scattered skeletons of endangered turtles “What they did in 20 years won’t be recovered in a hundred,” said Lumbreras Churince started to disappear after Mexico’s dairy industry arrived in the area in the early 2000s in search of new land to grow cattle feed Dozens of new wells were drilled in a valley a 15-minute drive south of the lagoon from which massive amounts of water continue to be pumped out from the ground today Scientists fear Cuatrociénegas is on the verge of collapse bled dry by the vast fields of water-hungry feed crops that now blanket the valley and the many wells and water systems that tap into the aquifer beneath “They’re sucking it up from below,” Juan Carlos Ibarra The arrival of dairy companies in Cuatrociénegas has created a climate of lawlessness and corruption around one of the most important ecosystems in the world has illegally occupied their land and stolen their water for close to a decade using fraud OCCRP’s analysis shows Beta may be using as much as 13 times its legal allotment of water to cultivate crops despite having no licenses in the municipality Not only has Mexico’s national water agency done nothing to prevent such over-extraction it even appears to frequently act in the dairy industry’s favor Neither Beta Santa Mónica nor the national water agency responded to multiple requests for comment Tanque Nuevo is a dusty village of gravel roads and frequent water shortages The remnants of an abandoned restaurant greet visitors who occasionally turn off the highway its adobe mud houses bake in searing temperatures that can reach 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit.) verdant green fields fed by industrial irrigation systems stretch across the Hundido valley to the feet of the surrounding hills which arrived in the valley around the turn of the century its fields of alfalfa spread so far you can see them from space But while Beta’s presence in the Hundido valley is undeniable its legal right to be there is more questionable Slide the bar across to compare satellite images of the Hundido Valley before and after dairy farms arrived Beta’s lack of proper paperwork first landed the company in trouble not long after it arrived Mexico’s state environmental protection agency temporarily halted its operations for failing to conduct a legally required environmental impact assessment and illegally using the land for agriculture Such changes had wiped out endemic plant life across the valley Beta was ordered to spend 1 million Mexican pesos (the equivalent of US$98,000 at the time) on restoration Beta Santa Mónica’s farms in the Hundido Valley operate on land owned communally by collectives of farmers Ejidos are a form of collective land ownership in Mexico created during the reforms that followed the Mexican Revolution a century ago Each ejido unites tens or sometimes hundreds of ejidatarios Although individual ejidatarios can own parcels of land common land cannot be transferred under Mexican agrarian law Earlier that same year, the farmers of Tanque Nuevo allege, the dairy giant started illegally taking over the land they collectively own Beta uses the land based on agreements struck in a series of community assemblies between 2002 and 2004 Official meeting minutes from the time say the community agreed to transfer portions of its land along with groundwater extraction licenses to 11 individuals that included a Beta director But five community leaders and farmers from Tanque Nuevo told OCCRP that the meetings never took place which the farmers submitted to court as evidence including that the water license transfers didn’t exist in CONAGUA’s national records Four community members whose signatures appeared on the paperwork later testified in court they didn’t even know several of the people who they supposedly granted the right to use their land several of the alleged proxies themselves testified that they had received the land lawfully as local residents the accused public officials and government agencies all testified that the accusations were baseless and that the transfers were all above board All insisted that the company had not been involved when the farmers say Beta annexed thousands more hectares of their land by fencing it in Anyone who tries to set foot inside the area ‘We’re going to put up a fence so that the animals don’t get in,’” said Enrique Gonzalez the farmers claim that the dairy company laid claim to the land inside the fence the farmers lodged a legal complaint to reclaim the land they said Beta took illegally declaring the original contentious meeting null and void meaning that all the land and water rights being used by Beta should have returned to their former owners That court order has still not been executed the farmers have spent the last 13 years fighting to see it enforced through a string of ongoing lawsuits and criminal complaints The thousands of pages of court documents they have accumulated describe an intricate web of fraud and power behind the politics of water in Cuatrociénegas Beta’s legal representative denied knowing of any unlawful possession of the ejidos’ land The company declined to respond to OCCRP’s questions about the land The farmers allege public officials forged documents to help Beta commit the land theft and later try to kill their lawsuit All the contested paperwork features the same handful of public officials including local notaries and representatives of the agrarian agency which are meant to act in the interest of farmers a woman who used to work with a lawyer who has represented Beta claimed to have been granted power-of-attorney for the farmers and quickly withdrew their legal complaint But the farmers say the paperwork was fraudulent pointing out that one of the farmers who apparently signed the document is illiterate The farmers also highlight a meeting the following year at which they supposedly chose three people to make decisions on their behalf regarding the lawsuit — two of whom then promptly withdrew it Yet at least two of the people who apparently voted for these representatives were dead at the time according to death certificates seen by OCCRP There were “many forged signatures of ejidatarios who never attended the assemblies” among the paperwork The farmers are still fighting to overturn these empowerments today and say they have been offered bribes to give up Gonzalez said he now lives in a state of constant fear I stop and look first to see whether or not it’s someone I know,” he said “Sometimes when I go to [the cities of] Saltillo or Torreón Beta states in promotional material that its water use is environmentally sustainable But an analysis by OCCRP shows the firm could be extracting anywhere between 3.3 and 13 times its legal allowance Beta is licensed to extract 3.5 million cubic meters of water per year under its own name in the entire state of Coahuila Companies are also allowed to nominate proxies to extract water even including all known proxies for the company — ones that are named in the farmers’ court case — the maximum the company is allowed to extract is 14 million cubic meters Satellite data from the Hundido valley shows Beta irrigates approximately 1,577 hectares of crops According to Mexico’s agriculture ministry one hectare of alfalfa needs at least 22,500 cubic meters of water every year meaning Beta’s fields must require an annual minimum of 47 million cubic meters This figure could well be significantly higher Beta says its Tanque Nuevo ranch produces 240,000 tonnes of fodder each year A single kilogram of dried alfalfa typically requires about 853 liters of water to produce meaning Beta’s fodder could be using some 182 million cubic meters of water each year OCCRP put these figures to Beta but received no response the director of the protected nature reserve to investigate the true situation in Cuatrociénegas Despite complaints about Beta’s overextraction CONAGUA has not issued a single sanction against the company since it arrived in the Hundido valley according to a freedom of information request filed by OCCRP The agency’s registry shows Beta does not have a single license under its own name in the municipality and the ejidatarios of Tanque Nuevo claim that the majority of the 17 wells it controls on their land are illegal they make it harder to tell if the company is over-extracting and deflects legal liability Ibarra said he reports suspicious wells inside the nature reserve but the water agency does not inform him of whether it takes action Data released to OCCRP shows that as of early 2021 CONAGUA had sent no inspectors to the municipality for two years and in the two decades after the dairy firms arrived none of them for wells inside the nature reserve a ranch set up by former Lala executive Florentino Rivero Alonso was sanctioned twice for operating wells without a license and failing to monitor how much water it was using Mexico designated water a national security issue in 2004 Nearly 85 percent of the country was in drought this spring and 70 percent of the country is considered at risk of becoming desert When farmers seized control of a dam in drought-hit Chihuahua in the fall of 2020 the response from the National Guard left a protester dead Activists and governmental audits have repeatedly warned that CONAGUA is failing to protect the country’s water supplies often to beneficiaries lacking the proper paperwork almost a quarter of Mexico’s aquifers are overexploited meaning new extraction licenses cannot be issued Water researcher Cuauhtémoc Osorno Córdova said that is exactly when some turn to more clandestine methods “[It’s] not only the industrialists and agriculturalists but many times it’s been the municipal governments themselves,” he said One problem is that CONAGUA classifies the aquifers beneath Tanque Nuevo and Cuatrociénegas as distinct so companies were allowed to extract water from under one but not the other say these aquifers are both part of one underground body meaning water pumped out of one place may also drain the protected reserve Overextraction has also meant that wells used by locals are yielding lower-quality water The decision to classify the aquifers as different bodies of water was made while CONAGUA was led by the former director of Lala the largest dairy company in Latin America Cristobal Jaime Jáquez became the agency’s director in 2000 just as Lala and other dairy companies were flocking to the valleys around Cuatrociénegas including claims that he allowed the dairy industry to destroy the underground aquifers by permitting improprieties Jaime wasn’t the only CONAGUA official with a cosy relationship with the dairy industry Its former state delegate left to become Beta’s defense lawyer in the battle against the farmers of Tanque Nuevo Documents seen by OCCRP show another state delegate including for granting permits in an overexploited aquifer and connections to a harassment campaign Activists working to protect Mexico’s water said that the agency has improved in some areas but that chronic underfunding and dysfunctional bureaucracy have complicated efforts at reform “CONAGUA is really a nest of hornets,” said renowned biologist Valeria Souza who has worked on Cuatrociénegas for decades “Everybody's involved in different ways in this web of corruption of the water management.” The rising tensions over water in Cuatrociénegas reached a boiling point in October 2020 when local farmers attacked environmentalists as they tried to block a decades-old canal that drains water from the reserve It was work that should have been done by CONAGUA which has been legally obligated to close the canal since 2010 Its failure to do so left volunteers to step in and put themselves at risk who at that time was the director of NGO Pro Natura said their work was interrupted by a group of locals led by an employee of the mayor’s office who had reportedly threatened them before “They’d already been there for four hours threatening us when the police arrived and grabbed us,” he told OCCRP “The municipal police said to me that it’d be better for me to leave Cuatrociénegas and never come back.” “The Lagunera region is a hydraulic society Those who have water have power.” Francisco Valdés PerezgasgaScientist and activist A few hours’ drive south from Cuatrociénegas lies a region known as La Lagunera. Here, where both Beta and Lala first began their work, vast white plains of cracked earth have replaced a once-thriving lake. What drinking water is left has reportedly been poisoned with toxic levels of arsenic Scientist-activist Francisco Valdés Perezgasga said the area was ruined by dairy companies that illegally used water resources and even had armed men prevent inspectors from examining illegal wells “The Lagunera region is a hydraulic society,” he said According to information released to OCCRP one landowner in Cuatrociénegas was sanctioned for refusing entry to the visiting CONAGUA inspector said Mexico’s water wars will hurt the poorest the most “The rich people will get the deeper wells and have irrigation the poor people have to migrate to more miserable lands,” she said Support from readers like you helps OCCRP expose organized crime and corruption around the world you’ll be directly supporting investigative journalism as a public good You’ll also gain access to exclusive insights and benefits and the Middle East appear to have been selected for.. OCCRP is expanding editorial operations into the U.S and Canada and has named award-winning investigative journalist Kevin.. A significant amount of Mexican wildlife trade happens on social media and “has a direct and irreversible impact on.. Their designation allows these rural destinations to consolidate their position as key players in sustainable tourism and community development Another 20 villages have been chosen to join the Upgrade Programme UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili noted that “tourism is an essential tool for inclusion empowering rural communities to protect and value their rich cultural heritage while driving sustainable development The ‘Best Tourism Villages’ initiative not only recognizes the remarkable achievements of these villages but also highlights the transformative power of tourism these communities can foster economic growth promote local traditions and improve the quality of life for their residents We celebrate the villages that have embraced tourism as a path to community empowerment and well-being demonstrating that sustainable practices can lead to a brighter future for all.” UN Tourism’s ‘Best Tourism Villages’ initiative was created in 2021 to promote the role of tourism in rural areas while preserving landscapes The ‘Best Tourism Villages’ (BTV) network is growing every year and with the announcement of its 75 new members 254 villages are now part of the world’s largest community of rural destinations Uniting rural destinations for sustainable development The ‘Best Tourism Villages’ initiative is part of UN Tourism’s Rural Development Program The Program strives to enhance development and inclusion in rural areas foster innovation and value chain integration through tourism the villages were evaluated in nine main areas: 1 promotion and conservation of cultural resources; 3 Tourism development and value chain integration; 7 – “Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism”: Recognizes outstanding examples of rural tourism destinations with recognized cultural and natural assets a commitment to the preservation of community values and a clear commitment to innovation and sustainability in the economic – “Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism Upgrade Programme”: supports villages in their efforts to meet the recognition criteria helping them to improve in areas identified as a weakness during the assessment – The “Best Tourism Villages” network: A space to exchange experiences and good practices lessons learned and opportunities among its members which is open to contributions from experts and public and private sector partners who contribute to the promotion of tourism as a driver of rural development The 55 “Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2024” are (in alphabetical order): The call for submissions for the fifth edition will take place in early 2025 providing a new opportunity for rural destinations to share their inspiring initiatives and gain global recognition as champions of rural development The Diplomat in Spain is the reference digital newspaper for diplomats and companies that want to be well informed © 2024 The Diplomat in Spain Please enter your username or email address to reset your password © 2024 The Diplomat in Spain Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon The best of Time Out straight to your inbox We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Worldwide according to the UNThe organisation’s initiative aims to promote ‘responsible sustainable and universally accessible tourism’ We know a thing or two about cities at Time Out but there is actually more to life than the lively buzzing streets of ultra-modern metropolises – sometimes you just want a bit of quaint tranquillity.  Thankfully, every year UN Tourism releases a list of the world’s ‘best tourism villages’ which is curated based on destinations which are doing the most outstanding work when it comes to preserving their culture community and traditions through tourism projects.  We reported on the open call for villages that the organisation announced earlier this year but now the best villages to visit in 2025 have been revealed (though it’s not a ranking – they’re listed in alphabetical order).  The most exciting thing is that all corners of the planet get included in the list Three villages in Mexico have been highlighted: Capulálpam de Méndez which is nestled in the mountains of Oaxaca state which is famous for its springs and swamps which is full of vibrantly painted colonial-era architecture.  a tiny but stunningly scenic mountain top village was included a Chinese settlement which is home to Hani people Read on for the full list of 55 brilliant villages to visit next year.  You can read all about the UN initiative on the website here, and check out the villages which were spotlighted last year here.  Did you see that this popular European tourist attraction is capping its visitor numbers Plus: These are the best underrated places to travel in 2025.  Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! tiktokfacebooktwitteryoutubeAbout us Contact us Tuesday | May 06 2025 | UN Tourism announced its selection of 55 villages as the Best Tourism Villages for 2024 highlighting their contributions to sustainable tourism and community development Chosen from over 260 applicants across 60 countries these villages were acknowledged for their commitment to preserving cultural heritage and promoting sustainable practices UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili emphasised the role of tourism in empowering rural communities and driving sustainable development sharing The Best Tourism Villages initiative not only recognises the remarkable achievements of these villages but also highlights the transformative power of tourism and enhance the quality of life for their residents We celebrate the villages that have embraced tourism as a pathway to empowerment and community well-being aims to enhance tourism's impact in rural areas by preserving landscapes and traditions The evaluation of villages focussed on nine criteria Promotion and Conservation of Cultural Resources Tourism Development and Value Chain Integration serves as a platform for sharing best practices and experiences The 55 Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism 2024 are (in alphabetical order): Saudi Arabia                seven villages from the Upgrade Programme gained recognition this year demonstrating improved practices through mentorship and focussed support The 20 new participants in the Upgrade Programme have the opportunity to develop their tourism offerings further Submissions for the fifth edition will open in early 2025 encouraging more rural destinations to showcase their initiatives vivek.mittal@businessworld.in, amit.bhasin@businessworld.in Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on our latest news This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.