The Cumbres de Monterrey ( es, Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey, ; English: "Summits of Monterrey") is a

national park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

located in the northern portion of 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 ...

in the states of

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. Wit ...

and

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

, near 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 ancho ...

. The park protects more than of rugged terrain boasting deep canyons, rivers, waterfalls, and scenic mountain peaks, including the Cerro de la Silla ("Saddle Mountain"), part of Monterrey's famous skyline. The park was created in 1939 under president

Lázaro Cárdenas Lázaro Cárdenas del Río (; 21 May 1895 – 19 October 1970) was a Mexican army officer and politician who served as president of Mexico from 1934 to 1940. Born in Jiquilpan, Michoacán, to a working-class family, Cárdenas joined the Me ...

to protect the native flora and fauna against the spreading urbanization of the city of Monterrey. The cool pine-oak forests with winding trails through the mountains make this park a popular escape from the nearby metropolis.

History

There are numerous indigenous paintings and stone carvings throughout the park that have proven humans have inhabited the area for thousands of years. Before the

Spanish colonial period Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain ** Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, C ...

, different groups of

Chichimeca Chichimeca () is the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples who were established in present-day Bajio region of Mexico. Chichimeca carried the meaning as the Roman term "barbarian" that d ...

inhabited the present area of Cumbres de Monterrey. Many of the different tribes in the region united for years in efforts to avoid Spanish rule. Monterrey became the first European settlement in the area when it was founded on September 20, 1596. Cumbres de Monterrey National Park was established on November 24, 1939, by president

. The park was decreed to encompass , which at the time was the largest area to be declared protected by the Mexican government as a

. By decree on November 17, 2000, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park was reduced to an area of .

Geography

The most accessible portion of Cumbres de Monterrey is Chipinque on the edge of

, about from downtown. At the visitor's center, park officials provide information and maps of several hiking paths varying from easy to moderately difficult. Chipinque is an ecological reserve within the park that allow visitors easy access to much of the flora and fauna found in the park. The park is located in the northern portion of the

, which was formed by rock folding of marine based sedimentary strata during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

epoch in the

Laramide orogeny The Laramide orogeny was a time period of mountain building in western North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 70 to 80 million years ago, and ended 35 to 55 million years ago. The exact duration and ages of beginning and end of the ...

period. The marine sedimentary rock rose over the years to an elevation of above sea level. The highest peaks in the park include: * Pinar: above sea level * Cerro de la Silla: above sea level * La Ventana: above sea level * La Antenna: above sea level * M Este: above sea level * Copete de las Águilas: above sea level The main sedimentary rock that constitutes the mountains in the park was formed during the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period. Most of the sedimentary rock features extensive

karstification Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ...

that happened over millions of years, creating several underground systems such as subterranean rivers, caves, and aquifers. Grutas de García (García Caves) is one of the largest cave systems in Mexico and one of the most popular attractions within the park. García Caves were hidden for millions of years until being discovered in 1843. Marine fossils have been discovered inside these caves because the lining of the caves mainly consists of oceanic sedimentary rock. The porous sedimentary rock in the park allows water to filter into subterranean rivers that replenish underground aquifers, which provide one of the primary sources of water for the city of Monterrey. Pozo del Gavilán (Eagle's Hole), the only

cenote A cenote ( or ; ) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used ...

known in northern Mexico is located in the southern tip of the park; it is another prime example of karstification. Pozo del Gavilán is a popular site to

rappel Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

and is subterraneously connected to Laguna de Labradores (Labradores Lake). Cola de Caballo

Cañón de la Huasteca, the most famous of the many canyons found in Cumbres de Monterrey, accounts for about of the park. The walls of Cañón de la Huasteca are marked with a significant number of prehistoric glyphs created thousands of years ago by the ancient inhabitants of the region. Another popular canyon is Matacanes Canyon where there are several waterfalls, of which Cascada de Chipitín (Chipitín Falls) is the most famous. Throughout the park there are numerous waterfalls, and there may be more to be found because there is an extensive cave system with large amounts of water not drained by surface streams and rivers but rather by subterranean ones. The two most famous waterfalls are Cascada Cola de Caballo (Horsetail Falls) and Cascada de Chipitín. Easily accessible by a trail, Horsetail Falls is one of the highlights of the park with a spectacular drop; the water pours over large rounded boulders in a way that resembles a horse's tail. Chipitín Falls is not easily accessible and requires a difficult hike, some rappelling, and swimming; the waterfall has an impressive drop. In addition to the many surface streams and rivers there are many ponds and small lakes. The best known lake is Laguna de Labradores.

Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 026 Bajo Río San Juan The Cuenca Alimentadora del Distrito Nacional de Riego 026 Bajo Río San Juan is a protected area in northeastern Mexico. It extends over part of the northern Sierra Madre Occidental, near the cities of Monterrey and Saltillo. Geography The prote ...

(CADNR 026 Bajo Río San Juan), a natural resources protection area, adjoins the national park on the south and west.

Climate

The climate throughout the park changes drastically depending on the elevation and the location of the terrain. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

there are several climates within the park. The following climates are listed by elevation in the park. Elevation : North tip of the park has a (BWh) desert climate with an average annual temperature of and an annual precipitation of . The southeast corner and central east portion of the park has a (Awh) Tropical Savanna climate with mild winters, summer-autumn monsoon, annual precipitation of , and an average annual temperature of . Elevation : North tip and the southwest corner of the park has a (BSk) Steppe Climate with an average annual temperature . Central portion of the park has a (Cwa) Humid Subtropical climate with an average annual temperature of and an annual precipitation of . Elevation : Western side of the park has a (Cwb) Oceanic climate with an average annual temperature of and an annual precipitation of .

Flora and fauna

The Cumbres de Monterrey National Park is home to a great variety of ecosystems due to the geography of the park where there are many microclimates allowing a greater variety of flora and fauna to flourish. ''

Agave ''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...

Dasylirion ''Dasylirion'' is a genus of North American plants in the asparagus family, all native to Mexico, with the ranges of three species also extending into the south-western United States. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the fa ...

'', and ''

Rhus Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family ( Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Ea ...

'' species are found in many areas of the park. The forest is made up mainly of the following tree species: *

Spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfam ...

: '' Picea martinezii'', ''

Picea engelmannii ''Picea engelmannii'', with the common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, and silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America. It is mostly a high-altitude mountain tree but also appears in watered cany ...

'' *

Yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitis ...

: ''

Yucca carnerosana ''Yucca carnerosana'',McKelvey in Yuccas of the S.W. U.S. 1:24 1938 commonly known as the giant Spanish dagger, is a species of North American plant in the asparagus family. In the United States, it is confined to only a few counties in western ...

'', ''

Yucca filifera ''Yucca filifera'' is a member of the subfamily Agavaceae, family Asparagaceae, native to central Mexico. History It was discovered in 1840 in northeastern Mexico between Saltillo and Parras () on 19 May 1847 by merchant and explorer Josiah ...

'' *

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three v ...

: '' Pseudotsuga lindleyana'', '' Pseudotsuga flahualti'' * Fir: '' Abies vejarii'', '' Abies hickelii'', '' Abies hidalgensis'', ''

Abies durangensis ''Abies durangensis'' is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It was described botanically by Maximino Martínez in 1942 and is found only in Mexico (Durango, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Jalisco and Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the Est ...

'' * Oak: ''

Quercus fusiformis ''Quercus fusiformis'' (also often referred to as ''Q. virginiana'' var. ''fusiformis''), commonly known as escarpment live oak, plateau live oak, plateau oak, or Texas live oak, is an evergreen or nearly evergreen tree. Its native range inc ...

'', ''

Quercus greggii ''Quercus greggi'', otherwise known as the Mexican oak, is a monoecious semi-evergreen oak that is adapted to survive in arid conditions. It is native to Mexico and commonly grow around north of the 24th parallel and spreads across multiple l ...

'', '' Quercus hipoxlanta'', ''

Quercus laeta ''Quercus laeta'' is an oak species in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' section ''Quercus'', in the beech family. It is widespread across much of Mexico from Sinaloa and Nuevo León south as far as Oaxaca. Description ''Quercus laeta'' is a ...

'', '' Quercus saltillensis'' *

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

: '' Pinus ayacahuite'', ''

Pinus cembroides ''Pinus cembroides'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to western North America. It grows in areas with low levels of rainfall and its range extends ...

'', ''

Pinus greggii ''Pinus greggii'', or Gregg's pine, is a small to medium high pine tree native to eastern Mexico, found in two distinct regions. It has an open crown and long and slender branches. The needles are in bundles of three with an average length of 11 ...

'', ''

Pinus hartwegii ''Pinus hartwegii'' ( syn. ''P. rudis'', ''P. donnell-smithii''), Hartweg's pine or pino de las alturas, is a pine native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America east to Honduras. It is named after Karl Theodor Hartweg, who described it in ...

'', ''

Pinus pinceana ''Pinus pinceana'', with the common names weeping pinyon and Pince's pinyon pine, is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. Distribution This pine species is endemic to Mexico, in the states of: Durango; northern Coahuila, Nuevo León, and ...

'', ''

Pinus pseudostrobus ''Pinus pseudostrobus'', known in English as the smooth-bark Mexican pine and in Spanish as ''chamite'' or ''pacingo'', is a tree found in forests of Mexico and Central America. It is 8 to 25 m tall with a dense and round top.It is threatened b ...

'', ''

Pinus rudis ''Pinus hartwegii'' (syn. ''P. rudis'', ''P. donnell-smithii''), Hartweg's pine or pino de las alturas, is a pine native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America east to Honduras. It is named after Karl Theodor Hartweg, who described it ...

'', ''

Pinus teocote ''Pinus teocote'' (teocote) is a species of conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is endemic to Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered t ...

'' The pine and oak forests and steppe are home to many animals. The park has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the northern part of Mexico. There is a large variety of fish that can be found in the park, but most species are endangered. Among the fish species present in the park are ''

Astyanax mexicanus The Mexican tetra (''Astyanax mexicanus''), also known as the blind cave fish, blind cave characin, and blind cave tetra, is a freshwater fish of the family Characidae of the order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native ...

'', ''

Campostoma anomalum The central stoneroller (''Campostoma anomalum'') is a fish in the family Cyprinidae endemic to North America. Biology Stonerollers have a rounded snout overhanging a crescent-shaped mouth, a hard ridge of cartilage on the lower lip, and irreg ...

'', ''

Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum The Texas cichlid (''Herichthys cyanoguttatus'', formerly ''Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum'') is a freshwater fish of the cichlid family. This is the only cichlid species that is native to the United States. The fish, also known as Rio Grande cichlid ...

'', ''

Cyprinella lutrensis The red shiner or red-horse minnow (''Cyprinella lutrensis'') is a North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are deep-bodied and laterally compressed,Farringer R.T., III, A.A. Echelle, and S.F. Lehtinen. 1979. Repr ...

'', ''

Etheostoma grahami The Rio Grande darter (''Etheostoma grahami'') is a small species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae which includes the perches, ruffs and pike-perches. It is endemic to the lower ...

'', ''

Gambusia affinis The western Mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply Mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the easte ...

'', ''

Macrhybopsis aestivalis The speckled chub (''Macrhybopsis aestivalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes, which also includes carps, suckers, and loaches. Description Speckled chubs have a slender, compressed body th ...

'', '' Notropis amabilis'', '' Notropis braytoni'', ''

Notropis stramineus The sand shiner (''Notropis stramineus'') is a widespread North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. Sand shiners live in open clear water streams with sandy bottoms where they feed in schools on aquatic and terrestrial i ...

'', ''

Poecilia mexicana ''Poecilia mexicana'', commonly known as the shortfin molly or Atlantic molly, is a species of poeciliid fish native to fresh and brackish water in Mexico and Guatemala. One population is found in caves and known as the cave molly. Description ...

'', '' Puntius conchonius'', and ''

Xiphophorus couchianus ''Xiphophorus'' is a genus of euryhaline and freshwater fishes in the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes, native to Mexico and northern Central America. The many ''Xiphophorus'' species are all known as platyfish (or platies) and s ...

''. Even though there are many species of fish, the following are the only known endemic species: ''

Cyprinella rutila The Mexican red shiner (''Cyprinella rutila'') is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country ...

'', '' Dionda melanops'' and ''Moxostoma albidum''. A significant number of ''

Cyprinodon ''Cyprinodon'' is a genus of pupfishes found in waters that range from fresh to hypersaline. The genus is primarily found in Mexico, the Caribbean Islands and southern United States (Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and ...

'' species still exists but many are endangered or have gone extinct. The park hosts a large variety of bird species, including '' Accipiter striatus'', ''

Aquila chrysaetos 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 ...

'', ''

Circus cyaneus The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

'', '' Falco columbarius'', '' Falco mexicanus'', ''

Falco peregrinus The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, ...

'', ''

Rhynchopsitta terrisi The maroon-fronted parrot (''Rhynchopsitta terrisi'') is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It m ...

'', ''

Speotyto cunicularia The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged true owl, owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deser ...

'', and '' Spizella wortheni''. The park's mammals include ''

Puma concolor The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere ...

'', ''

Ursus americanus Ursus is Latin for bear. It may also refer to: Animals * ''Ursus'' (mammal), a genus of bears People * Ursus of Aosta, 6th-century evangelist * Ursus of Auxerre, 6th-century bishop * Ursus of Solothurn, 3rd-century martyr * Ursus (''praefectus ...

'', ''

Canis latrans The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche ...

'', and '' Odocoileus virginianus''. File:Astyanax mexicanus.JPG, Mexican Tetra (''

)'' File:Yucca filifera Monaco.jpg, ''

'' File:Pinus greggii 03.jpg, ''

'' File:Northern (Hen) Harrier.jpg, Northern Harrier (''

'')

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumbres De Monterrey National Park National parks of Mexico Biosphere reserves of Mexico Protected areas of Nuevo León Protected areas established in 1939 1939 establishments in Mexico Natural history of Nuevo León Tourist attractions in Nuevo León Protected areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental