Desierto de los Leones (Desert of the Lions) is a national park that is in the southwest section of Mexico City. It is located in the Sierra de las Cruces mountain range southwest of the city center.

Understand

The old convent at Desierto de los Leones

Desierto de los Leones is one of the oldest parks in Mexico City, and is the oldest park in Mexico's national park system, comprising an area of 1529 ha (3776 acres) of wood forest.

The term Desierto (‘desert’) is used in this context in the archaic sense of “wild, sparsely populated area” rather than in reference to an arid environment. Leones (‘Lions’) refers not to the big cats but rather to the original landlord's surname.

History

The park is considered to be the oldest protected biosphere in Mexico. It was declared a forest reserve in 1876 by President Lerdo de Tejada with the intent of conserving its fresh water springs to supply Mexico City. It was later declared a national park in 1917, by President Venustiano Carranza.

Flora and fauna

It is a forested area primarily with pines, oyamel firs and holm oaks with many brooks, ravines and waterfalls.

There are 7 species of amphibians, 9 reptiles, around 30 mammals and almost a hundred of different birds. Some mammals are Mexican squirrel, White-tailed Deer, Ring-tailed cat, opossums, rabbits, gophers, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, skunks, Bobcats, Mexican volcano mouse, Golden mouse, and Long-tailed shrew. Common birds are Red-tailed hawk, Steller's jay, American robin, American kestrel, and Peregrine falcon. There are also several woodpeckers and flycatchers.

Climate

The park's altitude varies between 2,600 and 3,700 meters above sea level, giving the area a relatively cold and damp climate.

See

The first monastery in Mexico was completed here in 1611. The Desierto de los Leones Monastery is an exemplary example of the Carmelite architectural style. It was abandoned in 1801, but you can see some ruins today.

Do

Inside the National Park, different recreational and environmental activities are offered to the visitors, including: camping, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and trekking.

Every month the park organizes special sport activities as 160-km wild races, or the “Meta Desierto de los Leones”, a 10-km-long race.

Near the ex-convent, there is a series of zip lines 2.1 km long. The route consists of 12 zip lines and 10 platforms, with a maximum height of up to 90 m. This attraction has certificates from the International Mountaineering Union and trained guides at each of the stops.

There are several routes for cycling. The most traveled route begins at the Pantanos Station, you reach the Mirador and go down the route called Venados. The route is circular and is just over 55 km long. During the tour, up to 3,344 m of altitude are reached and it lasts approximately four hours,.In addition to the amazing view, extreme speeds can be reached. This route can be done throughout the year, preferably on non-rainy days, except for the autumn season; otherwise, extreme precautions are requested.