Cerro Mesa Ahumada (Mesa Ahumada Hill), also known as Cerro Colorado, is a hill located in the northern region of the State of Mexico (''Estado de Mexico'' or ''Edomex''). It is located between the municipalities of

Tequixquiac Tequixquiac is a municipality located in the Zumpango Region of the State of Mexico in Mexico. The municipality is located north of Mexico City within the valley that connects the Valley of Mexico with the Mezquital Valley. The name comes from N ...

and Apaxco. This hill has a maximum elevation of above sea level and is located at a southern pass leading out of the

Mezquital Valley The Mezquital Valley ( ote, B’ot’ähi) is a series of small valleys and flat areas located in Central Mexico, about north of Mexico City, located in the western part of the state of Hidalgo. It is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, with ...

Geology

This hill once had natural springs running down but has since then dried up. The land is mainly composed of volcanic rock, and the soil is classified as

durisol In the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB), a Durisol is a soil of arid and semi-arid environments that contains cemented secondary silica (SiO2) in the upper metre of soil, either as concretions (''durinodes'' – ''duric horizon'') or ...

, phaeozem, and

vertisol A vertisol, or vertosol, is a soil type in which there is a high content of expansive clay minerals, many of them known as montmorillonite, that form deep cracks in drier seasons or years. In a phenomenon known as argillipedoturbation, alternate ...

Archaeological Site

On the high

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

, there is an archaeological site named ''Los Mogotes''. It was occupied by Otomian-Nahua tribes. A few simple pre-Hispanic basements still exists on the northwest side of the mesa, along with some petroglyphs on the rocks. Los Mogotes was discovered in 1984 by the locals. When archaeologists from INAH visited this area, it was located on the hillside of Cerro Mesa Ahumada at approximately above sea level. Los Mogotes has 8 basements and a small platform, corresponding to the so-called Coyotlatelco and Mazapa of the late classic or epiclassical period (800-1000 a.C). This site was possibly built for military activities for lookouts by the Chichimeca people with astronomical observations, funeral activities, and housing. The location has suffered from looting, but archaeologists found valuable items such as obsidian, stone utensils, human bones, and mud bow. The eastern hillsides have petroglyphs, anthropomorphic figures of men and women, the engraving of Tōnatiuh or Tonalli, a

Nahui Ollin Nahui Ollin is a concept in Aztec/ Mexica cosmology with a variety of meanings. Nahui translates to "four" and Ollin translates to "movement" or "motion." Ollin was primarily portrayed in Aztec codices as two interlaced lines which are each portr ...

, and concentric cross symbols that probably represent stars or locations. The surroundings of the mesa were probably used by many nomadic groups, soldiers, and merchants, to observe the valleys. So it was an important location to defend and keep watch. In Tequixquiac (altepetl) many clashes occurred with Otomis, Aztecs, Tlaxcaltecs, Texcoco, and Otumba people. This site on the mesa was necessary for watching out for people and warriors.

Flora & Fauna

Cerro Mesa Ahumada is in the Central Mexican Plateau, where there is a diversity in plants and animals due to the region's temperate and semi-arid climate. The native plants and trees in this area include: Native Plants:

Century Plant ''Agave americana'', common names century plant, maguey, or American aloe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Mexico and the United States in Texas. It is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental plant, and ha ...

, Cholla, Prickly Pear, Golden Barrel Cactus, Fencepost Cactus, Bilberry Cactus, Mexican Creeping Zinnia,

Creosote Bush ''Larrea tridentata'', called creosote bush and greasewood as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and ''gobernadora'' (Spanish for "governess") in Mexico, due to its ability to secure more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants. In S ...

, Pipicha, Creeping False Holly,

Tule ''Schoenoplectus acutus'' ( syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the pl ...

Reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

Barrel Cactus Barrel cacti are various members of the two genera ''Echinocactus'' and ''Ferocactus'', endemic to the deserts of Southwestern North America southward to north central Mexico. Some of the largest specimens are found in the Sonoran Desert in So ...

, and

Fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

. Trees: Kidneywood Tree,

Mesquite Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus '' Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas. They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under gr ...

, Netleaf oak (also known as Quercus Rugosa), Tepozán, Needle Bush Fruit Trees: Tejocote, Capulin, and

White Sapote The white sapote, scientific name ''Casimiroa edulis'', also called casimiroa and Mexican apple, and known as ''cochitzapotl'' in the Nahuatl language (meaning "sleep-sapote") is a species of tropical fruiting tree in the family Rutaceae, nativ ...

. Foreign Trees:

Pirul ''Schinus molle'' (Peruvian pepper, also known as American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, rosé pepper, molle del Peru, pepper tree, (Archived bWebCite peppercorn tree, California pepper tree, pirul (in Mexican Spanish si ...

and

Eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

. The fauna in Mesa Ahumada include: Mammals:

Cacomistle The cacomistle (; ''Bassariscus sumichrasti'') is a nocturnal, arboreal and omnivorous member of the carnivoran family Procyonidae. Its preferred habitats are wet, tropical, evergreen woodlands and mountain forests, though seasonally it wil ...

, Skunk,

Gopher Pocket gophers, commonly referred to simply as gophers, are burrowing rodents of the family Geomyidae. The roughly 41 speciesSearch results for "Geomyidae" on thASM Mammal Diversity Database are all endemic to North and Central America. They are ...

Virginia Opossum The Virginia opossum (''Didelphis virginiana''), also known as the North American opossum, is the only opossum living north of Mexico, its range extending south into Central America. It is the northernmost marsupial in the world. In the United S ...

, Rabbit,

Mexican Gray Squirrel The Mexican gray squirrel (or red-bellied squirrel) (''Sciurus aureogaster'') is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' native to Guatemala and eastern and southern Mexico. It has been introduced to the Florida Keys. The alternate name shou ...

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 ...

, and Mexican Hare. Native birds:

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, Colibri,

Turkey Vulture The turkey vulture (''Cathartes aura'') is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus '' Cathartes'' of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of Sout ...

Northern mockingbird The northern mockingbird (''Mimus polyglottos'') is a mockingbird commonly found in North America. This bird is mainly a permanent resident, but northern birds may move south during harsh weather. This species has rarely been observed in Europe ...

, The Red Warbler, Rufous-crowned Sparrow,

Lesser Roadrunner The lesser roadrunner (''Geococcyx velox'') is a large, long-legged member of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, from Mesoamerica. The Latin name means "swift earth-cuckoo". Along with the greater roadrunner, it is one of two species in the genus ''G ...

Great Horned Owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extre ...

, and Savannah Sparrow. Reptiles: Rattlesnake, Pine Snake, Xincoyote, and Chirrionera Snake. Amphibians:

Axolotl The axolotl (; from nci, āxōlōtl ), ''Ambystoma mexicanum'', is a paedomorphic salamander closely related to the tiger salamander. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians in that they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. I ...

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

, and

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

. Insects: Red Ant, Bee, Firefly, etc. A few animals have gone extinct and existed in the past. These include Coyote, Bobcat and

Gray Fox The gray fox (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox (''Urocyon littor ...

Gallery

File:Oceloxochitl morada en Cerro Mesa Ahumada.jpg,

Tigridia ''Tigridia'' , is a genus of bulbous or cormous flowering plants belonging to the family Iridaceae. With common names including peacock flowers, tiger-flowers or shell flowers, they have large showy flowers; and one species, '' Tigridia pavonia' ...

flower. File:Cerro Mesa Ahumada (8).jpg, Cholla (Cardón). File:Cerro Mesa Ahumada (12).jpg, Centuryplant (Maguey). File:Cerro Mesa Ahumada (17).jpg,

Barrel cactus Barrel cacti are various members of the two genera ''Echinocactus'' and ''Ferocactus'', endemic to the deserts of Southwestern North America southward to north central Mexico. Some of the largest specimens are found in the Sonoran Desert in So ...

(Biznaga). File:Cerro Mesa Ahumada (23).jpg,

(Helecho). File:Cerro Mesa Ahumada (36).jpg, Tree named ''huizache''. File:Xincoyote en Cerro Mesa Ahumada.jpg, Lizard named '' xincoyote''.

Hillside Sports

The landscape around this hill is often used by international sports competitions such as '' Vuelta Sacra'', a mountain bike competition.

Environmental Damage

The landscape has degraded to a great extent, mainly due to an attempt at urban development in several parts of Ahumada hill. A construction company, Wilk SA, planned to construct housing units in several parts of Ahumada hill by invading the natural landscape. And this was possible due to negligence and corruption of the PAN and PRI, Tequixquiac, and Apaxco mayors. Such development has deteriorated the natural environment over the years.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Cerro Mesa Ahumada
Cerro Mesa Ahumada, Mexico City
Hills of Mexico Landforms of the State of Mexico 1984 archaeological discoveries Tequixquiac Apaxco Aztec sites Otomi sites