The Cerro de la Silla is a mountain and

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance. Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, nat ...

located within the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

of the city of

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

Nuevo León Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...

, in northeastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Named for its distinctive saddle-shaped profile when viewed from the west, it is a well-known symbol of the city of Monterrey, despite being located in the adjacent municipality of Guadalupe. It covers an area of 60.5 square kilometres (23 mi²). The mountain has four peaks: Pico Antena, Pico Norte, Pico Sur and Pico la Virgen; Pico Norte (North Peak) is the highest at 1820 m (5970 ft) while Pico la Virgen (Virgin's Peak) is the lowest at 1750 m (5740 ft). Set aside as a natural monument by the Mexican government in 1991, the mountain, or ''hill'', as mountains are often referred to in Mexico, is a popular recreational area and is often climbed by

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

who take a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) trail to reach the top. The ascent is considered to be fairly difficult, taking approximately 3 hours to complete. A panoramic view of the city of Monterrey can be seen from the top. In the second half of the 20th century, an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

(Teleférico en Monterrey) was built on the north side of the mountain to give a fastest access to the iconic mountain for the population. The day of its inauguration on June 2, 1961 was also the day of its closure, as a tragic accident took the lives of five people, including the engineer Jesús Fernández, its designer. Only the upper station remains of the tramway. Several plans have been announced to rebuild another tramway with no results. Some other known mountains or elevations of the zone are:

Cerro de las Mitras The Cerro de las Mitras (Spanish for “Miters' Hill”), is a mountain and a protected area in the Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Santa Catarina and García municipalities; state of Nuevo León, México. The mountain is part of the Si ...

, the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that f ...

with the

Cerro de Chipinque The Cerro de Chipinque is a mountain in the San Pedro Garza García, Monterrey and Santa Catarina municipalities; state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The mountain is part of the Sierra Madre Oriental range and the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park. ...

—the M-shaped figure visible from various parts of the city—, the

Cerro del Topo Chico The Cerro del Topo Chico (Spanish, 'Small Mole Hill', from the Latin ''talpa'' 'mole') is a mountain and a protected area in the Escobedo, San Nicolás and Monterrey municipalities; state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The summit reaches 1,178 meters ...

Cerro del Obispado The Cerro del Obispado (Spanish for Bishopric Hill) is a famous landmark in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, named after the building constructed in the middle of the slope by the end of the 18th century. The hill is a popular recreational area tha ...

Cerro de la Loma Larga Cerro de la Loma Larga (literal English: ''Long Hill Mountain''), or Loma Larga (short version), is a lower extension of the Sierra Madre Oriental, particularly of Cerro de las Mitras. located in the Monterrey, Nuevo León metropolitan area. ...

and

La Huasteca La Huasteca is a geographical and cultural region located partially along the Gulf of Mexico and including parts of the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Puebla, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Guanajuato. It is roughly defined as the area ...

Gallery

File:Mount Silla and Monterrey MX.jpg, Cerro de la Silla and Monterrey from space File:Cerro de la Silla y Obispado.jpg, Cerro de la Silla as seen from

File:Monterrey entre el Obispado y el Cerro de la Silla 1904.jpg,

Palacio del Obispado The Palacio del Obispado, Spanish for Bishop's Palace, is located in Monterrey, Nuevo León state, Northeastern Mexico. It contains a museum. The Palace was constructed on the slopes of a hill, later named Cerro del Obispado (Bishop Hill) afte ...

and Cerro de la Silla, 1904 File:Nubes sobre el Cerro de la Silla.jpg, Clouds over Cerro de la Silla.

References

External links

Cerro de la Silla information
(Spanish)
Mexico Desconocido
(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cerro De La Silla Landmarks in Monterrey Sierra Madre Oriental Landforms of Nuevo León Natural monuments of Mexico Protected areas of Nuevo León

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

Rock formations of Mexico North American 5000 m summits Protected areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental