I know, a lot of things happening in the U.S. at the moment. Also last 2 weeks of school via Distance Learning. I haven't been really able to engage much with the Latin America and Caribbean Top Missing thread. Here is a quickly put together list. Please post any corrections and I'll make updates.

As previously mentioned: We can tentatively plan to close all proposals on this forum, Sunday 5/31.

Top Missing

Argentina 2
- Gran Chaco
- Iberá National Park
Belize 1
- Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Bolivia 5
- Salar de Uyuni
- Lake Titicaca
- Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
- Gran Chaco
- Amboró and Carrasco National Parks
Brazil 9
- Transborder Amazonian Park: Parc amazonien de Guyane and Tumucumaque Mountains National Park
- Sierra del Divisor National Park
- Terreiro Casa Branca - Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká
- Fordlândia
- Teatro Amazonas, Manaus (Opera House)
- Catimbau National Park
- Geoglyphs of Acre
- Lençóis Maranhenses NP
- Amazon Reef
Chile 7
- Torres del Paine and Bernardo O'Higgins National Parks
- Juan Fernández Archipelago National Park
- Chiloe National Park
- Tierra del Fuego National Park and Alberto de Agostini National Park
- Temperate forests of Araucania
- Atacama
- Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve
Columbia 1
- Ciudad Perdida
Costa Rica 1
- Caribbean lowland forests and wetlands of Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Dominican Republic 2
- Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos Bancos de La Plata y Navidad
- Pomier Caves
Ecuador 1
- Yasuni National Park
Guyana 1
- Kaieteur National Park
Mexico 10
- Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade Route (1565-1815) - move to Latin America continent
- Great City of Chicomostoc-La Quemada
- Ring of cenotes of Chicxulub Crater, Yucatan
- Cave of the Crystals
- Santa Elena Canyon & Big Bend International Peace Park
- Pre-Hispanic City of Cantona
- Bonampak & Yaxchilan
- Cozumel
- Olmec Heartland
- Las Pozas, Xilitla
Nicaragua 1
- Caribbean lowland forests and wetlands of Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Panama 1
- Panama Canal
Paraguay 1
- Gran Chaco
Peru 10
- Sierra del Divisor National Park
- Chachapoyas sites of the Utcubamba Valley
- Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol
- Valle Sagrado de los Incas / Sacred Valley
- Lake Titicaca
- Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve System
- Colca Canyon
- Marcahuamachuco
- Rural Temples of Cusco
- Toro Muerto
Trinidad & Tobago 1
- La Brea Pitch Lake
Uruguay 1
- Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Venezuela 1
- Orinoco River Delta

Moved to Europe/North America?
*Arecibo Observatory (US Puerto Rico)
*Bonaire Marine Park (Netherlands)

Proposed Sites (not yet seconded)

Lauca NP / Sajama NP (Bolivia)
Chipaya vernacular architecture (Bolivia)
Xingu Indigenous Park (Brazil)
Parque Arqueológico do Solstício (Brazil)
Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago (Brazil)
Viruá National Park (Brazil)
The Palafitos of Chiloe (Chile)
Queulat NP (Chile)
Palaeoindian cave shelters of Southern Patagonia (Chile)
Lauca NP / Sajama NP (Chile)
Sumapaz National Park (Colombia)
Utría National Natural Park (Colombia)
Guayabo de Turrialba (Costa Rica)
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica)
Ecological reserves of the Cotacachi and Cayambe volcanoes (Ecuador)
Semuc Champey (Guatemala)
Massif de la Hotte (Haiti)
Parícutin (Mexico)
The Great Pyramid of Cholula (Mexico)
San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico)
Ometepe (Nicaragua)
Túcume (Peru)

Definitely understand. Thanks for posting this! Hope all is well in LA and that your school year ends well.

I will second Ometepe (Nicaragua), which seems like an excellent mixed candidate.


Thanks.

Did anyone propose anything connected to The Cuenca Mirador (Guetemaula)? I find Zoë Sheng's review very convincing for Top Missing.

Sorry. Wasn't aware that you are preoccupied and just relying you would do what you have always done. If it helps, I will do the next summary here. Argentina has 3 sites with Tierra de Fuego.

Sites I Second


Seconded. For the protection of the native population.


The Ramsar wetlands of Brazil look nice. Seconded.


Seconded: largest páramo ecosystem in the world.


Seconded. "Panama Bight mangroves" and "It contains diverse flora and fauna in a lush, mountainous rainforest environment with some of the highest rainfall in the world, at up to 10,000 millimetres (390 in)"


Seconded. "The Massif de la Hotte is a mountain range in southwestern Haiti, on the far-western end of the Tiburon Peninsula. The region is relatively remote and is one of the most biologically diverse and significant areas of all of Hispaniola. It also supports some of the last stands of Haiti's dense cloud forest on its peaks. "


Seconded. Saw a report on them.
German wiki: Large collection of pre Colombian pyramids "Sie sind die größte bekannte Ansammlung von Pyramiden aus ungebrannten Lehmziegeln aus vorkolumbianischer Zeit. Die historische Stätte wird von den Einheimischen auch Purgatorio, das Fegefeuer genannt. Es werden 26 große Pyramiden gezählt; insgesamt befinden sich in diesem Gebiet größenordnungsmäßig etwa 260 Stück."


Seconded. Biodiversity hotspot.


Seconded. "the most orchid species in a single place". Orchids always get me.

To discuss:

Looks nice. However, wondering how original these sites are. Could be rather immaterial heritage.
https://maptia.com/jamesmorgan/stories/bolivia-s-chipaya-and-the-altiplano


It feels like a site that could be inscribed, but that doesn't add much new to the list.


Looks nice, but doesn't seem special.


Feels rather unimpressive in comparison to other archaeological finds in the area.

I second this for the combination of high mountains and Amazonian biodiversity.

I would also like to repeat my proposal for Caguana (Puerto Rico) combined with Tibes. It is the most important archaeological representation of Precolumbian cultures in the Caribbean.

Site: Caguana and Tibes
Country: Puerto Rico (USA)
TWHS: no
Description: Tibes is the oldest ceremonial centre discovered in the Caribbean. It was used by the Igneri between the 1st and 6th century. In the 11th century the abandoned site was discovered by the Tainos who occupied it until the arrival of the Spaniards. A total of seven ball courts and a quadrangular plaza are distributed throughout the site. Many of the stones surrounding the plaza bear petroglyphs. Several shell middens are scattered irregularly throughout the site and is some instances the ball courts intrude into them, indicating that the site was occupied for an extended period of time with a gradual evolution into a ceremonial center. Within its boundaries is also the largest indigenous cemetery discovered to date – consisting of 186 human skeletons, most from the Igneri and the rest from the pre-Taíno cultures.
Studies estimate Caguana is over 800 years old, built by the Taíno around 1270 AD. Approximately 30 ball courts (bateyes) have been identified and many have been restored to their original state. The game of batey is believed to have originated in Mesoamerica and is said to have been played in Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. Monoliths and petroglyphs carved by the Taínos can be seen among the rocks and stones, some weighing over a ton, that were most likely brought from the Tanama River located adjacent to the site. Also located near the site is the Cemí Mountain (Montaña Cemí) which was believed, by the Taínos, to be the home of their gods and the reason they built the ball courts in that area.
Criteria: cultural

No sorry needed, it was a polite reminder. Generally, these world heritage discussions have been a welcome respite from the difficult news around the world.

Full Name of Site: General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge
Country: Venezuela
TWHS? No
Short description of site: The General En Jefe Rafael Urdaneta Bridge is located at the Tablazo Strait outlet of Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela. The bridge connects Maracaibo with much of the rest of the country. Made of reinforced and prestressed concrete, the cable-stayed bridge spans 8,678 metres from shore to shore. It's a design by Riccardo Morandi. According to eminent bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux: "the Lake Maracaibo Bridge deserves to be part of the series of the most famous bridges over the world, with the Golden Gate Bridge, the bridge over the Firth of Forth, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Garabit Viaduct".
Criteria: Cultural

Resources: General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge, the book "Livre d'or des Monuments du monde"

I second it. Archaeological sites in the Caribbean are missing in the list, with the Taíno culture representing best that region of the world.


If someone works a proposal, I would second it, the site with the highest pyramid in the world, with other related sites, a lot of discoveries to make and surrounded by the hugely biodiversity-rich "Reserva de la Biosfera Maya" definitely belongs here. Even when there are many Mayan sites in the list, I deem it important to consider outstanding sites.

I have quite limited time this weekend, but I've been working on 4 other proposals that I deem important, I will see if I'll have time to adequately research/propose/discard them:
-Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve (Guatemala), biggest cloud forest in Central America, also geological interest related to jadeite.
-Madidi and Bahuaja-Sonene NPs (Bolivia/Perú): only 1/3 sites proposed from the IUCN Study on Mountains, described in that study as "the world's peak area for biodiversity", with 50 different vegetation types and an altitudinal range "from 250m (amazonian forest) to 6000m".
-Most important architectural works of Lina Bo Bardi (Brazil): preeminent Italian/Brazilian modern architect, and if inscribed would be the first site by a woman architect. Her work has become extremely appreciated and regarded as masterful since her death. Three works I am considering are: the Casa de Vidro (1951), the museo de arte de São Paulo (1957-1968) and the SESC Pompéia Cultural Center (1982-1988), all of them in São Paulo, city where the approach to modern architecture was very different to that of Rio de Janeiro, with Paulo Mendes da Rocha even winning the 2006 Pritzker Prize.
-Archaeological Site of Tula (Mexico): the type site and capital of the Toltec empire, whose influence was felt even on the Mayan world. Its most distinctive monuments are the "Atlantes".
I am also researching more the "Selva de la Biosfera El Ocote" with the Arco del Tiempo" (Mexico) and Tak'alik A'baj', site of Olmec/Mayan Encounter (Guatemala).

Isn't this already represented by the Tikal WHS?

I've looked at these too, but feared that they might represent the same ecoregions and biomes as Manu NP, which is already a WHS.

Jurre
Quite regarding the natural aspects, the difference is that Tikal only has 576 km2, while the "Reserva de la Biosfera Maya" is 21.602 km2. Same could be said about Calakmul, just on the other side of the border.
Regarding cultural aspects, El Mirador (800 aC-150 dC, Preclassic period) predates the apogee of Tikal (200-900 dC, Classic period), so it represents another different time.

Yes, you have a point, but the list has so many WHS in the same eco-regions that's hard to discard a site just for that. Of course, it's open to discussion.

I understand, but I've had the same remark about some of the sites I proposed. So I thought the overall reasoning is that the sites inscribed should represent the best of their ecoregion/type of building/type of landscape/... and should add something new to the List.

Full Name of Site: Sites of the Huastec civilization
Country: Mexico
TWHS? No
Short description of site: The Huastec civilization was a pre-Columbian civilization of Mesoamerica, occupying a territory on the Gulf coast of Mexico that included the northern portion of Veracruz state, and neighbouring regions. The Huastec people were an early offshoot of the Maya peoples that migrated northwards. Surviving remains from the Huastec civilization include several large archaeological sites, a well-preserved temple, and a large amount of stone sculpture. The selected sites in this proposal would include: (1) Castillo de Teayo, (2) El Sabinito, (3) Balcón de Montezuma and (4) Tamuín. (1) Castillo de Teayo is a prehispanic pyramid of Toltec origin, a pyramidal shaped building that preserves part of its entire structure, with a stairway and a structure that crowned the building, probably a temple. It is one of the few buildings of this type remaining in the Mesoamerican area. This site was home to one of the ancient Huastec cities. Its occupation periods are calculated from the 10th to the 12th centuries. (2) El Sabinito is the ruin of a Pre-Columbian settlement formerly occupied by the Huastecs in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. All the buildings of El Sabinito are very well preserved. The area of El Sabinto can be divided into two parts, based on its two major plazas. (3) Balcón de Montezuma represents a village (400–1200CE) composed of around 90 circular bases distributed in two plazas. (4) Tamuín is internationally renowned for three archaeological sites representative of the precolonial Huastec culture: Tamtok, El Consuelo, and Tzintzin-Lujub. Tamtok is a site of the highest importance in the archaeological history of the Huasteca region. It comprises 50 small and medium sized mounds. There is a ceremonial plaza bordered by 23 buildings, with five platforms for conducting rituals occupying the center, which are surrounded by 13 round habitations and two rectangular, terraced large buildings which were probably for community use.
Criteria: Cultural

Resources: Huastec civilization, Castillo de Teayo (Mesoamerican site), El Sabinito, Balcón de Montezuma, Tamuín

I already second both proposals. You can expand them later.


I second this too. Although Mexican Precolumbian sites are abundant on the list, Mexico had many different cultures worthy of representation.