NATURAL WORLD
Monterrey's weather
also tends toward the extremes. The most temperate months are
October and March.
Monterrey boasts the extremes of Mexico's national parks, from
the immense 255,000-hectare (630,000-acre) Cumbres
de Monterrey to El Sabinal, with 8 hectares (20 acres).
El Sabinal means 'place of the bald cypress trees' (taxodium
mucronatum) trees.
The $300 million Santa
Lucia River Walk (Paseo Santa Lucia) stretches for 1.2 miles
(2 kilometers) from the Macroplaza downtown to Fundidora Park,
a business center and former steel mill.
The metro system runs on biogas energy, produced by controlled
decomposition of organic waste.
GARCIA CAVERNS
The Garcia Caverns (Grutas de Garcia), are west of Monterrey.
A guided tour leads along a 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) path through
the various chambers illuminated with such poetic names as 'Chamber
of Clouds' and 'The Eagle's Nest.'
These caves are estimated to be more than 50 million years
old and were discovered in the late 1800s. Marine fossils embedded
in the walls provide evidence that the caves were once under
the sea. To get there, drive toward Saltillo
on Highway 40. After the well-marked turnoff to the town of
Garcia, drive another 18 kilometers (11 miles) to the entrance.
HUASTECA CANYON
West of Monterrey is the famed Huasteca Canyon (Cañon
de la Huasteca), with 300-meter-high cliffs and a park (with
children's playground) in the middle. There are unlimited opportunities
for rock climbing, but you have to bring your own equipment.
One of the highlights here are the petroglyphs on the walls
of the canyon. Without a doubt, the 350-hectare (865-acre) park
earns its classification as semi-urban. The Santa Catarina-Huasteca
bus takes you from the corner of Padre Mier and Juárez
downtown to the park.
CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS
The Museum
of Mexican History is located at the site of the Santa Lucia
springs at Dr. Coss #445 South. This beautifully designed museum
showcases artifacts ranging from ancient Olmec
statues to a revolutionary-era train engine.
Adjacent to the cathedral at the southern end of the Macroplaza
is Monterrey's ultramodern Museum
of Contemporary Art (MARCO), which exhibits great Mexican
and Latin American art.
Also of note is the ALFA Cultural Center, an arts and science
complex, complete with planetarium.
There is a botanical garden, an outdoor theater and an aviary
with 15 different species and more than 200 birds. Seek out
the glass masterpiece, The Universe, created by Mexican artist
Rufino Tamayo. The center is located in San Pedro Garza district.
El Obispado (Bishop's Palace) is a colonial home that houses
the Regional Museum of Nuevo Leon. The museum is located on
the west end of Avenida Padre Mier.
The 17,000-seat Arena Monterrey hosts pop and rock concerts.
The city boasts the Monterrey Philharmonic Orchestra.
SPORTS
Monterrey is home to several soccer clubs and the Mexican Baseball
League team, the Sultanes.
UPGRADE YOUR WORLD
The city is home to Instituto Regiomontano
de Hoteleria and the National
Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon and the Instituto
Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey or more
simply, Monterrey Tech.
HISTORY
The former territory where Nuevo León is now situated
was discovered and populated by Europeans at the end of the
16th century. The Spanish crown entrusted Luis de Carvajal y
de la Cueva as the first governor.
On September 20th, 1596, accompanied by twelve families, Don
Diego de Montemayor founded the city of Nuestra Señora
de Monterrey by the Santa Lucía Springs. The name was
a homage to Gaspar de Zúñiga y Acevedo, Count
of Monterrey and Viceroy of New Spain, who named Montemayor
as governor on February 11th, 1599.
NEARBY
Potrero
Chico
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