Constitution 1857 National Park is located in the pine forests of the

Sierra de Juárez The Sierra de Juárez, also known as the Sierra Juarez, is a mountain range located in Tecate Municipality and northern Ensenada Municipality, within the northern Baja California state of northwestern Mexico. It is a major mountain range in the ...

mountain range in the northern part of

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

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 ...

. The park is an important preserve for many native wild animals like bighorn sheep and

mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

. The park is characterized by the large variety of coniferous plant species.

History

The park was created by decree of the Mexican federal government on April 27, 1962.Decreto del Parque Nacional Constitución de 1857.
Consultado el 6 de enero de 2009. It was important to create a protected area to preserve the forest and the ecosystem that it sustains. The park is deeply appreciated for its beauty and the existence of small lakes. The park is named after the 1857 Constitution of Mexico.

Geography

Constitution 1857 National Park is a 5,009 hectare mountainous area located in the northern part of

. The city of Ensenada,

is located approximately from the park on Federal Highway 3, near the village of Ojos Negros. The highest elevation nearby and just outside the park is . The park is mostly located in the valley of the Hanson Plain characterized by granite and sand beds surrounded by the

. Hanson Lake (Juárez Lake) is located in the center of the park at an elevation of above sea level. Hanson Lake is the main lake in the park, but there are several dry lakes on the Hanson Plain that hold water for only part of the year. The Hanson Plain is thought to have formed during the Mesozoic Era. The Sierra de Juárez is a subdivision of the mountain range named the Cordillera Baja California, which is an extension of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Climate

A temperate subhumid climate cool winters and warm summers. Winter is considered the wet season; several rainstorms and a few snowstorms allow several lakes to appear on the Hanson Plain. During the winter, many of the lakes freeze over due to shallow depths and low temperatures at night. During the summer, the rate of evaporation and low humidity dry most of the lakes that appeared during the wet season.

Flora and fauna

Constitution 1857 National Park and Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park are the main terrestrial wildlife refuges on the peninsula of

, with many regionally important native plant and animal species. The Sierra de Juárez contains several coniferous species; the most abundant are: ''

Pinus jeffreyi ''Pinus jeffreyi'', also known as Jeffrey pine, Jeffrey's pine, yellow pine and black pine, is a North American pine tree. It is mainly found in California, but also in the westernmost part of Nevada, southwestern Oregon, and northern Baja Califo ...

'', '' Pinus ponderosa'', '' Pinus cembroide'', ''

Pinus quadrifolia ''Pinus quadrifolia'', the Parry pinyon, is a pine in the pinyon pine group native to southernmost California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico, from 33° 30' N south to 30° 30' N. The Parry pinyon has a lifespan of aro ...

,'' ''

Pinus monophylla ''Pinus monophylla'', the single-leaf pinyon, (alternatively spelled piñon) is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range is in southernmost Idaho, western Utah, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, eastern and souther ...

'', ''

Juniperus Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

'', ''Arctostaphylos drupacea'', ''Artemisa ludoviciana'', and ''Adenostoma esparcifolium''. The flora shares many species with the

Laguna Mountains The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges System in eastern San Diego County, southern California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately . The mountains have long been inhabited by the i ...

and the

San Jacinto Mountains The San Jacinto Mountains (''Avii Hanupach''Munro, P., et al. ''A Mojave Dictionary''. Los Angeles: UCLA. 1992. in Mojave) are a mountain range in Riverside County, located east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mo ...

in southwestern California. The lower elevations of the Sierra de Juárez are characterized by chaparral and desert shrub. The fauna throughout the park includes many mammals, primarily

, bighorn sheep, cougars, bobcats, ringtails, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels and more than 30 species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

s. The park is also home to many avian species, like bald eagles,

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of ...

black vulture The black vulture (''Coragyps atratus''), also known as the American black vulture, Mexican vulture, zopilote, urubu, or gallinazo, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the northeastern United States to Peru, Cen ...

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

s, and several species of

nuthatch The nuthatches () constitute a genus, ''Sitta'', of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. M ...

es and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

References

External links

Bajaquest.com: Constitution 1857 National Park
— ''including Laguna Hanson/Hanson's Lagoon''. *�

*�

{{authority control National parks of Mexico Protected areas of Baja California Geography of Ensenada Municipality Landmarks in Ensenada Natural history of Baja California Ramsar sites in Mexico 1962 establishments in Mexico Protected areas established in 1962