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 . History. There is evidence that the Aztecs worshipped Tonantzin (Goddess of Sustenance) at Tepeyac hill. The sierra is named after Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Marian apparition that, according to oral and written colonial sources such as the "Huei tlamahuiçoltica", Juan Diego saw at the Tepeyac hill. 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. 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. The last volcanic activity in the area occurred 14 to 15 million years ago. Ecology. 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). 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. Flora. In the area, "quercus" trees and xerophile plants are abundant. Preservation. The area has suffered from environmental deterioration due to deforestation. Part of the eastern part of the sierra was reforested with the introduction of "eucalyptus", "pinus", "cedrus" and "casuarina" trees. It is composed of the following hills: