DESIERTO DE LOS LEONES

Decreed Mexico’s first national park in 1917, Desierto de los Leones is neither a desert nor populated with lions, but is a pine and oak forest covering almost 1,529 hectares of mountainside and centered on the remains of an early-18th-century monastery. Picnickers frequent the groves and gardens around the semiruined Carmelite monastery, while hikers and mountain bikers roam the dirt roads and trails in the hills above. The woods around Desierto de los Leones are well patrolled, particularly on weekends, making it the safest and most recommendable park near Mexico City for hiking and biking. Regardless, ask one of the vigilantes (guards) at the monastery what the current situation is in the surrounding woods. Severe forest fires in 1998 ripped through parts of the Desierto, and burnt-out patches can still be seen in the upper reaches of the forest. The woods around the convent, however, were not touched by the fires.

  The road into the park, Camino al Desierto, runs from the Toluca highway near the neighborhood of Cuajimalpa to San Ángel. Unless you’re in the south of the city, the best way in for those driving motor vehicles is via the Toluca highway. A bus runs from the Metro Barranca del Muerto station up to the monastery, on Saturday and Sunday only, 6 a.m.–5 p.m. Bikers without a car would have to hire a taxi from the city, which would cost $10–15 at least. Two gates at either end of the park collect a $1 entrance fee from drivers 7 a.m.–6 p.m.

The Monastery
Desiertos were Carmelite monasteries first built in Spain in forests, meant to isolate the monks from the travails of urban life. The name is thought to be an allusion to Christ’s 40 days in the desert. Started in 1606, Desierto de los Leones was the first such monastery built in the Americas. An earthquake destroyed the original building in 1711, and the current monastery was erected in 1722. The Carmelites moved away in 1801 to their present location in Mt. Niscongo above Tenancingo, in the State of México.

  Although there were likely some mountain lions in the area when the monastery was in operation, the second half of the monastery’s name is thought to derive from the León family, who acted as the order’s representative in affairs with the Spanish crown for many years.

  Today the old monastery is a museum (10 a.m.–7 p.m. Tues.–Sun., admission $0.50). Parts are a bit decrepit, but the main building is in good condition and features a lovely chapel. One large room has been converted into a restaurant, open for breakfast and lunch. On Sundays a crowd is usually milling around the hallways, but the gardens behind are quiet, restful corners. Dotting the woods around the monastery are 8 of the original 10 hermitages.