Cliffs and desert vegetation, near the dam
We love Monterrey, Mexico
La Huasteca, a canyon near Monterrey, Mexico’s second-largest city, amazed us with the ancient majesty of its towering rock formations. We wandered around a dam in the desert and met a Mayan medicine man.
15 September 2021
L'Europe
Sénégal.com
The canyon of La Huasteca is one of the most famous areas in the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, a vast protected zone between Monterrey and Saltillo. Embracing the symbol of Monterrey, the iconic mountains forming the Saddle Hill, this pristine jewel of ecotourism was designated a national park in 1939 during the administration of Lázaro Cárdenas.
Flying my drone through the canyon of La Huasteca, in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park, Nuevo León, Mexico. Large file size (90 mb GIF video), might take a minute to load properly.
The rock formations themselves date back to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of Earth’s history and derive from the process of dissolution of soluble rocks like limestone to create karst topography, known for water channels both above and below the ground. This creates sinkholes and vast cave systems.
During heavy rains, water torrents can come gushing down the canyon and threaten to flood the metropolis. Thus the state built the dam, a massive stone structure intentionally left with one open tunnel to slow the torrent without stopping it.
Brian and Eden exploring the dam in the canyon of La Huasteca, Cumbres de Monterrey
Our quiet Mexican cottage in the valley of La Huasteca, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
We met a Mayan medicine man and philosopher
Looking down from the top of the dam, La Huasteca
My wife Nicole and I rented a rustic cabin in La Huasteca equipped with its own pool and large patio. At the dam we met a Mayan philosopher, artist, and medicine man from southern Mexico, as well has his fiancée from Monterrey. They appeared when we were very thirsty and offered me a beer and a water for Eden.
Coincidentally, we had already arranged to rent an apartment in the same skyrise in Monterrey where they were living and where the woman owned two apartments.
Watchtower at another nature reserve, Chipinque Ecological Park, overlooking part of the metro area
Downtown Monterrey near the Macroplaza
Flying my drone over the Macroplaza of Monterrey
Enjoying dinner poolside on our patio, at the rural cottage in the canyon of La Huasteca
When we joined our new friends on the rooftop patio in Villa Antigua, we met about five other residents of the building, young professions and recent graduates of the prestigious Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL).
Having connected with this core social base, we met many friends of friends and had fun connecting in local restaurants. These were patios and rooftop areas with abundant circulation of air.
Because of temporary, severe pandemic restrictions, finding cuisine became almost a shady black market trade where one must have local contacts to gain trust.
Eden enjoying a day trip to Saltillo, Coahuila
Desert vegetation and rock formations near Monterrey
Santiago, a charming lakeside city in Nuevo León, southeast of Monterrey
Nicole climbing the rock formations along the Mexican highway through the canyon of La Huasteca
After spending two or three days climbing around on the rock formations in the canyon of La Huasteca, not to mention flying the drone and capturing hundreds of videos and photographs, the whole family felt tired and ready for a change of pace. We enjoyed a lazy day of drinking plenty of water while lounging in the shade by the pool.
Nicole and Eden enjoyed eating some of the exotic fruit growing in the trees in the yard. I helped out at the grill by the pool, while occasionally flipping through some of the drone footage and pictures from the phone. Chickens and squirrels occasionally made a noisy and dramatic appearance on the tin roof.
