DESIERTO DE LOS LEONES TRAIL - 15K
A Mexican forest called desert? There are two versions of why this National park is called “The desert of the lions”. The first one says that the last name of the landlords who represented the Spanish crown in the area was Leon, which means lion in English, but I prefer the second one that says; there were some bobcats hunting in the area and people confused them with actual lions. Anyway, Carmelites, the priest order who lived in the convent inside the national park, called desert to the place were they find peace and calm, in order to have a devoted life with god. And peace and calm is what you are going to find in this trail running tour with amazing landscapes and a beautiful XVII century building.
Runner on the ground - CITLA
10 years of running
“The Holy Desert of Our Lady Carmen of the mountains of Santa Fe”
The former convent “Desert of the Lions” located about 2960 meters above sea level, is where we will begin our visit, let’s learn about the history of this magnificent seventeenth century building.
The convent had a single door with a sign on top where you could read a message from Pope Clement VIII, prohibiting women from entering, under penalty of being excommunicated, since it was a place of peace and renunciation for the monks who lived there.
After touring the Convent, the adventure begins, 15 km of trail along trails where we’ll discover some of the chapels used by the monks for spiritual retreats.
The chapels also had a small garden in which the monks grew some of their food, because once inside the chapel, they could not leave or receive food from the convent.
Although it seems hard to believe, this was a place with wild cats, jaguars, wolves and coyotes, so, imagine the sounds at night in such a secluded place.
“The Desert of the Lions” was at first, a forest reserve in order to protect the existing springs that provided water to the city. And then it became the first National Park in the country
After our tour we will enjoy a lunch with typical local food and a delicious coffee.
Do not miss this adventure in this wonderful place, just 30 minutes from Mexico City.
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