Ajusco
Encyclopedia
Ajusco is a 3930 m lava dome
volcano
located just south of Mexico City
, Mexico, in the Tlalpan
borough of the city. It is the highest point in the Mexican Federal District, which contains Mexico City.
word variously translated as "source of waters" or "watered grove", and the Lerma River
and Balsas River
draw some of their source waters from this area. Also, the flow from all of the remaining strong springs in the area adjacent to the peak are captured to augment Mexico City's water supply.
-Pleistocene
age, surrounded by block-and-ash flow deposits. Ajusco is part of the mountain chain of volcanic origin known as Sierra del Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin, among which Xitle
(3128 m (10,262 ft)), Tláloc (3690 m (12,106 ft)), Pelado (3620 m (11,877 ft)), Cuautzin (3510 m (11,516 ft)) and Chichinautzin (3470 m (11,385 ft)) stand out. This range is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
which crosses central Mexico and contains the country's highest peaks.
The area is important for conservation of local ecosystems. In its oak, pine and fir forests there are unique endemic species like the teporingo rabbit and the volcano mouse.
, Iztaccihuatl
and Nevado de Toluca
volcanoes, and parts of the Valley of Cuernavaca
.
The Ajusco area is also home to Six Flags México
(the largest amusement park in Latin America), the TV Azteca
television network, the National Pedagogic University, the UNAM
radio transmission center, the Fondo de Cultura Económica
and El Colegio de México
.
Atop the volcano is a pre-Hispanic site where artifacts have been discovered.
Lava dome
|250px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] lava dome of [[Chaitén Volcano]] during its 2008–2009 eruption.In volcanology, a lava dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano...
volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
located just south of Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico, in the Tlalpan
Tlalpan
Tlalpan is one of the sixteen administrative boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City. It is the largest borough, with over eighty percent under conservation as forest and other ecologically sensitive area. The rest, almost all of it on the northern edge, has been urban since the mid 20th...
borough of the city. It is the highest point in the Mexican Federal District, which contains Mexico City.
Etymology
Ajusco is a NáhuatlNahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
word variously translated as "source of waters" or "watered grove", and the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
and Balsas River
Balsas River
The Balsas River is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán...
draw some of their source waters from this area. Also, the flow from all of the remaining strong springs in the area adjacent to the peak are captured to augment Mexico City's water supply.
Geology
Ajusco is a lava-dome complex of PliocenePliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
-Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
age, surrounded by block-and-ash flow deposits. Ajusco is part of the mountain chain of volcanic origin known as Sierra del Ajusco-Chichinauhtzin, among which Xitle
Xitle
Xitle is a volcano in the Ajusco range in Cumbres del Ajusco National Park. It is located in the Tlalpan borough in the southwestern part of Mexico City. It is an ash cone volcano with a conical form, round base, altitude of approximately 300m, and a slope between 30° and 40°.Xitle registered its...
(3128 m (10,262 ft)), Tláloc (3690 m (12,106 ft)), Pelado (3620 m (11,877 ft)), Cuautzin (3510 m (11,516 ft)) and Chichinautzin (3470 m (11,385 ft)) stand out. This range is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
which crosses central Mexico and contains the country's highest peaks.
Ecology
Parts of this range account for about half of the area of the Mexican Federal District, the rest of which is occupied by Mexico City.The area is important for conservation of local ecosystems. In its oak, pine and fir forests there are unique endemic species like the teporingo rabbit and the volcano mouse.
Sites of interest
The area around the peak is a popular destination for residents of Mexico City and tourists, with activities such mountain biking, horseback riding, motorcycling, hiking and climbing. The area is one of the few around Mexico City where it may snow in the winter. This mountain offers stunning views, where all of the Valley of Mexico can be seen (weather and pollution permitting), including the city and its skyscrapers, PopocatepetlPopocatépetl
Popocatépetl also known as "Popochowa" by the local population is an active volcano and, at , the second highest peak in Mexico after the Pico de Orizaba...
, Iztaccihuatl
Iztaccíhuatl
Iztaccíhuatl , is the third highest mountain in Mexico, after the Pico de Orizaba, , and Popocatépetl, . Its name is Nahuatl for "White woman"....
and Nevado de Toluca
Nevado de Toluca
Nevado de Toluca is a large stratovolcano in central Mexico, located about west of Mexico City near the city of Toluca. It is generally cited as the fourth highest of Mexico's peaks, after Pico de Orizaba, Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, although by some measurements, Sierra Negra is slightly...
volcanoes, and parts of the Valley of Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
.
The Ajusco area is also home to Six Flags México
Six Flags México
Six Flags México is an amusement park owned by Six Flags Inc. and the only Six Flags park operating in Latin America. It is located in the Tlalpan forest and borough, on the southern edge of Mexico City, Mexico. Six Flags México has become one of the most important theme parks in Mexico and the...
(the largest amusement park in Latin America), the TV Azteca
TV Azteca
Azteca, is the second largest Mexican television entertainment. It was established in 1983 as the state-owned Instituto Mexicano de la Televisión , a holding of the national TV networks channel 13 and 7 and was privatized under its current name in 1993 and now is part of Grupo Salinas...
television network, the National Pedagogic University, the UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
radio transmission center, the Fondo de Cultura Económica
Fondo de Cultura Económica
Fondo de Cultura Económica is the most important publishing house in Mexico and one of the most important ones in Latin America. It was originally established in 1934 by Daniel Cosío Villegas as a way to provide students of economics with books in Spanish on the subject...
and El Colegio de México
El Colegio de México
El Colegio de México, A.C. is a prestigious Mexican institute of higher education, specializing in teaching and research in the social sciences and the humanities...
.
Atop the volcano is a pre-Hispanic site where artifacts have been discovered.