Sierra de los Agustinos is a mountain range in

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

state of central

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 range is a protected natural area, and provides water, firewood, recreation for the surrounding region.

Geography

The Sierra de los Agustinos are volcanic mountains which rise from the

Bajío El Bajío (the ''lowland'') is a cultural and geographical region within the central Mexican plateau which roughly spans from north-west of the Mexico City metropolitan area to the main silver mines in the northern-central part of the country. Thi ...

, a high plain. The Sierra is in the basin of the

Lerma River The Lerma River ( es, Río Lerma) is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near ...

, which runs south and west of the range. The main mass of the

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

lies to the south and southeast. The volcanic rocks which make up the Sierra are porous and highly fractured, and the Agustinos Aquifer is important source of groundwater in the adjacent lowlands. The range has deposits of non-metallic minerals including as opal, perlite, kaolin, and silica sand.

Flora and fauna

The natural vegetation includes

tropical deciduous forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

at lower elevation, and

oak forest An oak forest is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak forests contain the most closed canopy, compared to oak savannas and oak woodlands. Examples * Southern dry-mesic oak f ...

at higher elevation. Characteristic trees include palo dulce (''

Eysenhardtia polystachya ''Eysenhardtia polystachya'', the kidneywood, is a tree from Mexico, growing along forest edges and water courses at elevations of 150–3000 m. Previously it was used as a source of lignum nephriticum. References * polystachya ...

'') tepeguaje (''

Lysiloma ''Lysiloma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus is native to the Americas, and species range from Arizona and New Mexico through Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica, and in Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Bahama ...

'' sp),

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(''Quercus'' spp.), and pinqüica (''

Arctostaphylos pungens ''Arctostaphylos pungens'', with the common name pointleaf manzanita, is a species of manzanita. It is native to the Southwestern United States and to northern and central Mexico, where it grows in chaparral and woodland habitats, and on desert r ...

''). 531 species of plants have been recorded within the protected natural area. The Sierra is an important habitat for wildlife. 29 mammal species, 145 bird species, 16 reptile species, and three species of amphibians have been recorded in the Sierra. Native mammals include the

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

(''Lynx rufus''),

ringtail The ringtail (''Bassariscus astutus'') is a mammal of the raccoon family native to arid regions of North America. It is widely distributed and well adapted to disturbed areas. It has been legally trapped for its fur. It is listed as Least Co ...

(''Bassariscus astutus''),

white-nosed coati The white-nosed coati (''Nasua narica''), also known as the coatimundi (), is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae (raccoons and their relatives). Local Spanish names for the species include ''pizote'', ''antoon'', and ''te ...

(''Nasua narica''),

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

(''Procyon lotor''),

Mexican long-nosed bat The greater long-nosed bat or Mexican long-nosed bat (''Leptonycteris nivalis'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States. It chiefly consumes pollen and nectar, particularly from agave plant ...

(''Leptonycteris nivalis''), and

Saussure's shrew Saussure's shrew (''Sorex saussurei'') is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae, that is found in Mexico. There is also a disjointed population of shrews in Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Repú ...

(''Sorex saussurei''). Native birds include

Swainson's hawk Swainson's hawk (''Buteo swainsoni'') is a large bird species in the Accipitriformes order. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, as it is very fond ...

(''Buteo swainsoni''),

Mexican falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&n ...

(''Falco mexicanus''), brown-backed solitaire (''Myadestes occidentalis''). Reptiles include the

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

(''Boa constrictor'') and

black-tailed rattlesnake The black-tailed rattlesnake (''Crotalus molossus'') is a venomous pit viper species found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Four subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. Taxonomy A recent ...

(''Crotalus molossus''). The Sierra is part of the annual migration route of the

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It ...

(''Danaus plexippus'') between eastern North America and the butterflies' wintering grounds in the mountains of Michoacán and Mexico states to the south.

Conservation

The Sierra de los Agustinos was designated a sustainable use area in 2002. It has an area of 191.65 km².UNEP-WCMC (2022). Protected Area Profile for Sierra de los Agustinos from the World Database on Protected Areas, July 2022

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References

{{Reflist Landforms of Guanajuato Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt Protected areas of Guanajuato