Kaxil Kiuic: The Helen Moyers Bio-cultural Reserve, 4,000 acres in the heart of the Northern Maya lowlands, is a living laboratory established in 2001 to carry out a sustained and integrated program of educationally centered research. Millsaps College has had a presence in Yucatan since 1990, when Dr. George Bey came to the college from Tulane University. (Read more about Dr. Bey's original site, Ek Balam, by clicking here.)

The reserve, which supports and sustains rich flora and fauna, is home to a number of Mayan ruins, including the site of Kiuic ("marketplace"). Kiuic, a Mayan city of 5,000-8,000 people, was inhabited from approximately 400 B.C. to 1000 A.D. These ruins are the oldest known settlement located in the Puuc region of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. (See Kiuic in relation to nearby sites on this map.) The forest and the ruins provide a unique setting for study in the fields of anthropology, culture, biology, archaeology, chemistry, ecology, and history.

The reserve is managed by the Mexican non-profit organization Kaxil Kiuic, A.C., whose activities revolve around promotion and outreach, coordination of onsite research, procurement of funds to back preservation strategies and reserve development, and the administration of programs and personnel.

Archaeologists, scientists, and students from Millsaps College, the Autonomous University of Yucatan, and the National Institute of Anthropology and History (Mexico) work together with students and researchers from American colleges and universities to preserve and explore archaeological treasures, protect the fragile ecosystem, promote research and educational tourism, and involve current and future material culture and living communities.