Sierra de Santa Catarina, Mountain range in Mexico City, Mexico.
Sierra de Santa Catarina is a volcanic mountain range in the eastern part of Mexico City, made up of a series of extinct cinder cones. Its summits sit at around 2,500 to 2,750 meters above sea level, rising clearly above the flat urban area that surrounds them.
The range formed during the Quaternary period through a series of volcanic eruptions that shaped the eastern edge of the Mexico City basin. Those eruptions left behind a chain of cinder cones that now define the outline of the range as seen from the city.
The name Santa Catarina refers to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose veneration remains alive in the surrounding neighborhoods. On the lower slopes, visitors can spot small milpa plots where corn, beans, and squash are grown together in a traditional pattern.
The range sits in the eastern part of Mexico City and can be reached on foot from several surrounding neighborhoods. Morning visits tend to offer clearer skies and cooler temperatures, which makes walking the trails more comfortable.
One of the cones in the range, Xaltepec, was a place of worship in pre-Hispanic times and is still used by some indigenous groups for ceremonial gatherings today. This makes it one of the few actively used ritual sites within the city limits of Mexico City.
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