Desert of the Lions Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
national park in Mexico
About Desert of the Lions
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. 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. It is a forested area primarily with pines, oyamel firs and holm oaks
Desert of the Lions Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 12 sections including: