Bio-Itzá Association

the bio-itzá association was formed in 1991 in an effort to rescue the ancestral knowledge and traditions of the maya itzá culture and associated tropical forests in northern guatemala. the nonprofit association is operated by local community-minded indigenous people of mayan descent. the association was created to conserve the bio-itzá biosphere reserve, a 36km2 community forest reserve located 24 km to the northeast of san josé. the reserve was established in 1991 as the first cultural and ethno botanical reserve in guatemala. the reserve is made up of semi deciduous subtropical humid forest with mixtures of primary and secondary forest. it’s border with the el zotz biotope and proximity to tikal national park make the reserve a corridor for plant and animal species that have become increasingly more scarce in the buffer zone of the maya biosphere. the bio-itzá association promotes the sustainable use of natural resources and responsible tourism. "we the itzá, the last descendants