Cumbres del Ajusco National Park | |
---|---|
Location | Tlalpan / Magdalena Contreras, Mexico City, Mexico |
Coordinates | 19°12′54″N 99°15′23″W / 19.21512°N 99.25639°W |
Area | 920 hectares (2,300 acres) |
Established | May 23, 1936[1] |
Governing body | Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources |
Cumbres del Ajusco National Park is one of many national parks near Mexico City, DF. The Ajusco is known for its high elevations reaching 3,900 meters (12,795 ft) above sea level and is visible from any part of Mexico city. The park is characterized by pine-oak forests and high mountain grassland. Cumbres del Ajusco means "watered grove peaks", an appropriate name for this mountainous region covered with lush green forest with many flowers due to a fair amount of precipitation. The Balsas and Lerma rivers begin in the heart of the Cumbres del Ajusco.
This range accounts for approximately half of the area of the Mexican Federal District, the rest of which is occupied by Mexico City. The area is key to the conservation of the ecosystem, and is important to endemic species. Urbanization of Mexico city has posed several environmental concerns over the preservation of the habitats and ecosystems of the park.