El Cimatario National Park

Did You Know?

• Cerro del Cimatario is a volcanic mountain formed during Pliocene eruptions.
• The park's soils include a red porous volcanic rock called tezontle, once quarried for bricks and ovens.
• The mountain hosts several radio and television transmitting towers.

Flora and fauna

The park contains parts of the Bajío dry forests and Central Mexican matorral ecoregions. Cactus scrub dominates lower elevations, with shrubs up to four meters tall. Common cacti include Myrtillocactus geometrizans, Opuntia leucotricha, Opuntia imbricata, and Nyctocereus serpentinus. Small trees with small leaves and spines, such as Acacia schaffneri and Acacia farnesiana, also occur. Tropical dry forest consists of trees four to twelve meters high that shed leaves in the dry season; species include Bursera fagaroides, Bursera palmeri, and Cedrela dugesii. The understory is mostly herbs like Rivina humilis, with climbing vines and epiphytes such as Tillandsia recurvata. Induced pasture grows in disturbed areas, dominated by grasses up to 30 centimeters high, including Melinis repens and Chloris gayana, along with scattered Eysenhardtia polystachya shrubs. Reforested areas contain many introduced species.