Reserva de la Biósfera de la Barranca de Metztitlán, Biosphere reserve in Hidalgo, Mexico
The reserve encompasses 96,042 hectares of land featuring deep canyons, desert vegetation, and diverse ecosystems including coniferous forests and oak woodlands.
Established in 2000, the area contains ancient cave paintings and includes the town of Metztitlan, which maintained independence from Aztec control.
The reserve houses a 16th-century Augustinian monastery that served as a central point for Spanish missionaries working to convert the Huasteca region.
Visitors can access multiple outdoor activities including mountain biking, bird watching, and hiking trails throughout designated areas of the reserve.
The reserve protects numerous endemic Mexican cacti species and hosts a Ramsar wetland site at the Metztitlan lagoon with depths reaching 10 meters.
Location: Acatlán Municipality
Location: Zacualtipan de Ángeles
Location: San Agustín Metzquititlán
Location: Metztitlán Municipality
Location: Metepec Municipality
Location: Huasca de Ocampo
Location: Eloxochitlán
Location: Atotonilco el Grande
GPS coordinates: 20.25595,-98.51699
Latest update: May 18, 2025 21:21
Hidalgo state sits northeast of Mexico City, connecting volcanic landscapes with more than two thousand years of human settlement. The region extends from high-altitude pine forests to semi-arid canyons, with geological processes having created basalt columns, cave systems with thermal springs, and marble formations. Colonial monasteries from the 16th century stand alongside mining towns that emerged during the Spanish era, while the archaeological site of Tula served as the capital of the Toltec civilization that preceded the Aztec empire. Visitors can walk among the hexagonal basalt columns at Prismas Basálticos, bathe in the warm pools of Grutas de Tolantongo, or view the stone warrior statues at Atlantes de Tula. Mining towns such as Real del Monte preserve their narrow streets and historic mines, while the Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque, a 16th-century UNESCO World Heritage structure, carried water across distances through a series of tall arches. National parks like El Chico protect mountain forests, the Metztitlán Canyon Reserve hosts desert ecosystems, and Atezca Lake offers views of calm water surrounded by forested hills. The combination of natural variety and centuries of history makes Hidalgo a place where each visit reveals both geology and human adaptation to this demanding environment.
Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla
5.4 km
Monumental Clock of Pachuca
26.6 km
El Chico National Park
23 km
Hacienda de Santa María Regla
5.1 km
Huapalcalco
20.8 km
St. John the Baptist Cathedral, Tulancingo
25 km
Cristo Rey de Pachuca
25.5 km
Hacienda de San Miguel Regla
6 km
Acosta Mine Museum
19.8 km
Municipal Hall of Pachuca de Soto
26.5 km
La Asuncion Parish, Pachuca
26.4 km
Templo y exconvento de San Agustín
16.2 km
El Santo Museum
24.1 km
Railway Museum of Tulancingo
24.1 km
Plaza Constitución
26.4 km
Antigua hacienda de Exquitlán
26.2 km
Paste Museum
21.8 km
Zona de Preservación Ecológica Cerro del Lobo
26.3 km
La Dificultad Mine Museum
20.3 km
Site Museum and Interpretation Center Mina La Difficulty
20.3 km
Edificio de las Cajas Reales
26.3 km
Museo de Medicina Laboral
20.9 km
Museo Casa Grande
20.7 km
San Antonio mine
23.2 km
Foro Cultural Efrén Rebolledo, Pachuca
26.6 km
Historical Data Museum
24.1 km
Real English pantheon of Monte
20.4 km
Peña del Aire
2.4 kmReviews
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