Nature Reserve
Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cuatrociénegas
With hundreds of shimmering cerulean pozas (pools) and streams in the middle of the Desierto Chihuahuense (Chihuahuan Desert), this 843-sq-km nature reserve is a surreal sight. Fed by more than 500 underground springs, it's a desert habitat of extraordinary biological diversity, often compared to the Galapagos Islands. It's home to over 70 endemic species, including three kinds of turtles and 11 kinds of fish, as well as primitive organisms called estromatolitos (stromatolites), which are linked to the creation of Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere.