Cumbres de Monterrey National Park

Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
El Cerro del la Silla is the most famous part of the national park
Location	Nuevo León, Coahuila, Sierra Madre Oriental Mexico
Nearest city	Monterrey, Nuevo León
Coordinates	25°26′30″N 100°18′18″W / 25.44156°N 100.30489°W / 25.44156; -100.30489Coordinates: 25°26′30″N 100°18′18″W / 25.44156°N 100.30489°W / 25.44156; -100.30489
Area	177,395.95 hectares (438,354.9 acres)
Established	November 24, 1939
Governing body	Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources

The Cumbres de Monterrey (Spanish  ['kumbres de monte'rei] )(English Summits of Monterrey) is a national park of Mexico located in the northern portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental near the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. The park includes the famous symbol of Monterrey, the signature skyline known as Cerro de la Silla (Saddle Mountain). The park consists of rugged terrain boasting steep mountains reaching an elevation of 2,260 meters (7,410 feet) above sea level, deep canyons, rivers and waterfalls.

It was created in 1939 under president Lázaro Cárdenas. The park encompasses 177,395.95 hectares (438,354.9 acres); it was created to protect the native flora and fauna against the spreading urbanization of the city of Monterrey. The cool pine-oak forests with winding trails through the mountains make this park a popular escape from the Monterrey metropolis.

There are numerous indigenous paintings and stone carvings throughout the park that have proven humans have inhabited the area for thousands of years. Before the Spanish Colonial Period, different groups of Chichimeca inhabited the present area of Cumbres de Monterrey. Many of the different tribes in the region united for years in efforts to avoid Spanish rule. The first European settlement in the area was Monterrey on September 20, 1596.

Cumbres de Monterrey National Park was established on November 24, 1939 by president Lázaro Cárdenas. The park was decreed to encompass 246,500 hectares (609,000 acres) which at the time was the largest area to be declared protected by the Mexican federal government under the regulations of a national park. By decree on November 17, 2000 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park was reduced to an area of 177,395.95 hectares (438,354.9 acres).