Sierra de las Minas

Sierra de las Minas
Highest point
Peak	Cerro Raxón (Alta Verapaz)
Elevation	3,015 m (9,892 ft)
Coordinates	15°09′47″N 89°51′05″W / 15.163063°N 89.851255°W / 15.163063; -89.851255
Geography
Country	Guatemala
State/Province	Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, El Progreso Department, Zacapa, Izabal
Range coordinates	15°10′00″N 89°40′00″W / 15.16667°N 89.66667°W / 15.16667; -89.66667Coordinates: 15°10′00″N 89°40′00″W / 15.16667°N 89.66667°W / 15.16667; -89.66667

Sierra de las Minas biosphere reserve
VI
The reserve has a significant Margay population
Country	Guatemala
Region	Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, El Progreso Department, Zacapa, Izabal
Highest point	Cerro Raxón
- elevation	3,015 m (9,892 ft)
Lowest point
- elevation	150 m (492 ft)
Area	2,408 km2 (930 sq mi)
Biome	– Subtropical thorn forest – Premontane dry subtropical forest – Premontane tropical wet forest – Lower montane subtropical moist forest – Cloud forest
IUCN category	VI - Managed Resource Protected Area
Website: Defensores de la Naturaleza

Sierra de las Minas is a mountain range in eastern Guatemala, extending 130 km west of the Lake Izabal. It is 15–30 km wide and bordered by the valleys of the rivers Polochic in the north and the Motagua in the south. Its western border is marked by the Salamá River valley which separates it from the Chuacús mountain range. The highest peak is Cerro Raxón at 3,015 m. The Sierra's rich deposits of jade and marble have been mined throughout the past centuries. These small scale mining activities also explain the name of the mountain range.

The range has several different habitats, including Mesoamerica's largest cloud forests, and is home to a great variety of wildlife. A large part of the Sierra de las Minas was declared a biosphere reserve in 1990.

In 1990, a substantial part of the Sierra de las Minas (2,408.03 km² or 929.75 sq mi, including buffer zones and transition areas) was designated a biosphere reserve.

Due to its size and great variety in elevation and precipitation, the range has many different habitats and land cover types, including:

The reserve has 885 species, about 70% of all species found in Guatemala and Belize, including threatened birds like the resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and horned guan (Oreophasis derbianus).

Felines with a significant presence are the Jaguar (Panthera onca), Cougar (Felis concolor), Onza (Puma yagouaroundi), Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and Margay (Leopardus wiedii).