Established in 1976 by initiative of Mario Dary Rivera who achieved a donation from the Municipal Corporation of Salamá, which were the first six chivalries donated to the University Of San Carlos Of Guatemala. El Biotopo Mario Dary Rivera is better known as Biotopo del Quetzal and it is one of the seven conservation areas that the Estudios Conservacionistas's Center (CECON) administer, unit that belongs to the Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacia. It is mountainous, very broken land, and it is located between the municipalities of Purulhá and Salamá in the department of Baja Verapaz.

The interpretative paths that go inside the mountains, have been denominated "Sendero de Los Helechos" y "Sendero de los Musgos", the first of two kilometres and the second four kilometres long. Here the visitor can observe variety of plants as ferns, mosses, mushrooms, cockerels, orchids and others. birds like quetzals, cayayas, real hotter, ravines keepers, emerald toucans; variety of insects, small lizards and possibly mammals like squirrels, mice, raccoons and howler monkeys.

It has an approximate surface of 1017 hectares. It possesses numerous cascades and creeks of pure and crystalline waters. Its Jungle is dense and abundant. Its altitude oscillates among the 1,500 to 2,300 mts. over sea level. The yearly temperature averages is of 16°C with a range from 29.4°C to 4.1°C. The relative humidity varies between 80 and 100%. The rain manifests during the whole year, although the less rainy months are March and April, the rainy period is June to September. In the months of October to January, a constant rain in form of dense sprinkle regionally denominated Chipi-Chipi settles in the area.