Sierra de Guadalupe, Mexico

The Sierra de Guadalupe is a mountain range in Mexico. It is found between the borough of Gustavo A. Madero in northern Mexico City and the municipalities of Cuautitlán Izcalli, Tultitlán, Coacalco, Ecatepec and Tlalnepantla, in the State of Mexico. Its highest peak is at 3,055 meters (10,023 ft).

Sierra de Guadalupe
Highest point as seen from Coacalco
Highest point
PeakPicacho Moctezuma
Elevation3,055 m (10,023 ft)
Coordinates19°34′59″N 99°07′01″W
Dimensions
Length25 km (16 mi) W x E
Width8 km (5.0 mi) N × S
Geography
CountryMexico
StateState of Mexico
Mexico City
RegionCentral Mexico
Geology
Volcanic arc/beltTrans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

History
Lake Texcoco in 1519. The sierra is located to the northwest

There is evidence that the Aztecs worshipped Tonantzin (Goddess of Sustenance) at Tepeyac hill.[1] The sierra is named after Our Lady of Guadalupe,[2] a Marian apparition that, according to oral and written colonial sources such as the Huei tlamahuiçoltica, Juan Diego saw at the Tepeyac hill.[3]

In 1937, the El Tepeyac National Park was created in the Tepeyac hill, in the eastern portion of the sierra, by decree of the president Lázaro Cárdenas.[2]

Geology

The sierra is a dormant volcano that is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The basement is made of andesitic and dacitic soil.[4] The last volcanic activity in the area occurred 14 to 15 million years ago.[5]

Ecology
Cactaceae in the sierra

Climate

The sierra has a humid subtropical climate. It rains mostly during summers with rainfall of between 700 and 800 mm (2.5 and 3.5 in) per year. The temperature ranges from 12 to 16 °C (53 to 60 °F).[6]

Fauna

Among the species found in the sierra, it is included the Mexican pine snake, the American kestrel, the roadrunner, the opossum, and the bobcat. Introduced species include the white-tailed deer, tapirs and bisons.[6]

Flora

In the area, quercus trees and xerophile plants are abundant.[6]

Preservation

The area has suffered from environmental deterioration due to deforestation.[2][7] Part of the eastern part of the sierra was reforested with the introduction of eucalyptus, pinus, cedrus and casuarina trees.[6]

It is composed of the following hills:

  • Cerro del Sombrero or Pico Tres Padres
  • Cerro de los Gachupines (2,330 m [7,640 ft])[8]
  • Cerro del Chiquihuite (2,730 m [8,960 ft])[8]
  • Cerro del Picacho Moctezuma (3,055 m [10,023 ft])[2]
  • Cerro del Picacho El Fraile (2,902 m [9,521 ft])[5]
  • Cerro del Picacho El Jaral
  • Cerro del Tenayo
  • Cerro Petlecatl
  • Cerro de la Calavera
  • Cerro Gordo
  • Cerro Zacatenco (2,500 m [8,200 ft])[8]
  • Cerro del Guerrero (2,440 m [8,010 ft])[8]
  • Cerro de Santa Isabel
  • Cerro del Tepeyac (2,270 m [7,450 ft])[8]
  • Cerro Zacatenco
    Cerro Zacatenco
  • Cerro Los Gachupines
    Cerro Los Gachupines
  • Cerro del Chiquihuite
    Cerro del Chiquihuite
  • Wider view
    Wider view

References
  1. "Tonantzin, ¿la diosa azteca que se transformó en la Virgen de Guadalupe?". ADN40. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. Luege Tamargo, José Luis (24 June 2019). "Sierra de Guadalupe". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. "Oklahoma's Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine to be dedicated Nov. 4". KOKI-TV. Oklahoma City. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  4. Arce, José Luis; Layer, Paul W.; Macías, José Luis; Morales Casique, Eric; García Palomo, Armando; Jiménez Domínguez, Fernando J.; Benowitz, Jeff; Vásquez Serrano, Alberto (2019). "Geology and stratigraphy of the Mexico Basin (Mexico City), central Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt". Journal of Maps. 15 (2): 320–332. doi:10.1080/17445647.2019.1593251. S2CID 134933346.
  5. Rivera, Alicia (5 September 2020). "Familias mexiquenses viven sobre depósitos volcánicos". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  6. Granados Marmolejo, Daniel; Campos Martínez, Juan Carlos (30 May 2005). "De la Sierra de Guadalupe y de cómo rescatar sus tesoros". La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  7. Flores Vera, Juan Antonio (2007). Estado, metrópoli y políticas sociales (in Spanish). Plaza y Valdés. p. 281. ISBN 9789707226418.
  8. Cuaderno Estadístico Delegacional, Gustavo A. Madero, Distrito Federal: Edición 1995 (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics and Geography. 1995. p. 3.
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