Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park is a protected area located in the Mexican state of Baja California. It is part of the Ensenada municipality in Baja California. Native people were the first to explore the area. In 1701, European explorer Eusebio Francisco Kino, a member of the Dominican missionaries, also visited the region.

The park is known for its pine trees and large granite rock formations. Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is a mountain range that stretches north to south across the central part of northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Its name means "mountains of Saint Peter the Martyr" in Spanish. Picacho del Diablo, or Devil's Peak, is the highest point in the park and in all of Baja California. Its summit reaches 3,096 meters (10,157 feet). The park is one of the few pine forests on the Baja California peninsula. It provides important habitat for native Bighorn Sheep. The park is also home to California condors, which were reintroduced to the area by several international organizations.

The National Astronomical Observatory, built in 1971 on a nearby mountain called Cerro del la Cúpula, houses Mexico's largest optical telescope. The telescope has a diameter of 2.12 meters and weighs 40 tons. The observatory is the second most important in Latin America.

History

The first European explorers of the region were members of the Jesuit order during the time when missionaries spread Christianity in the Spanish territories of California. The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir area is believed to have been explored by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and Father Wenceslao Link in 1701. Later, the Dominicans continued the mission work and built the Misión San Pedro Mártir de Verona in the southern part of the park. Only ruins remain of this mission today.

Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park was officially established by a government decree on April 26, 1947. At that time, 72,909 hectares of land were set aside and protected by the Mexican Federal government. The National Astronomical Observatory is located at an elevation of 2,830 meters (9,280 feet). It was built in 1975 and includes several large telescopes, with the largest measuring 2.1 meters (83 inches) in diameter. The observatory uses the high elevation, along with usually clear skies, low air pollution, low humidity, minimal light pollution, and low radio signal interference to support its scientific work.

Geography

Sierra de San Pedro Mártir National Park is a protected area located in the northern part of the Cordillera Baja California Mountain Range, also called Sierra de San Pedro Mártir.

The high mountain is believed to have started forming during the Paleozoic era due to movements in the Earth's crust. Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is a rough mountain range with sudden changes in the landscape, covered in pine forests and encircled by large deserts. Because of the surrounding deserts, the park is often called an oasis.

Picacho del Diablo is the tallest point in the park, which is 3,096 meters (10,157 feet) above sea level. It is located on the east side of the park. The area contains many deep canyons and frequent sudden changes in the landscape.

Climate

The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir Mountain Range has two main types of climates, with an average yearly temperature of 20 °C (68 °F). The higher elevations have a continental climate called Dsa, while the lower elevations have a semiarid climate. In the higher elevations, the rainy season occurs during winter, with about 36% of yearly precipitation falling during this time. Frequent rainstorms and snowstorms happen during this season. During summer in the higher elevations, about 22.9% of yearly precipitation falls. Winters are mild, with temperatures usually between 3 °C (37 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). Summers are warm, with temperatures ranging from 18 °C (64 °F) to 22 °C (72 °F). Temperatures change a lot in the park depending on elevation because of big changes in the land's shape. In winter, extreme high elevations receive a large amount of snow, while in summer, lower elevations can go above 38 °C (100 °F).

Flora and fauna

Conifers are the most common trees at higher elevations in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir. The most common species include: Pinus lambertiana, Pinus quadrifolia, Pinus jeffreyi, Abies concolor, and Tecate cypress (Hesperocyparis forbesii). The critically endangered San Pedro Mártir cypress (Hesperocyparis montana) is found only in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir. Oaks grow with conifers at middle elevations. The plants in the mountain forests of the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir are different from those in other parts of Mexico. These plants share many species with the Laguna Mountains and San Jacinto Mountains in southwest California. At lower elevations, the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir is covered by chaparral and desert shrubs. The Sierra de San Pedro Mártir marks the southern edge of the range for the California fan palm, Washingtonia filifera.

Many types of mammals live in the park, including mule deer, bighorn sheep, cougar, bobcat, ringtail cat, coyote, rabbit, squirrel, and more than 30 species of bats. The park is also home to many bird species, such as bald eagle, golden eagle, falcon, woodpecker, black vulture, crow, and several species of Sittidae. California condors, which were born in captivity, were put back into the wild in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir. This was the first time condors had been seen in the area since 1937. The reintroduction involved cooperation between the United States and Mexico. Local scientists gave the name "inyaa" (meaning "sun" in the Kiliwa language) to the second generation of California condors.

• Bighorn sheep
• Bobcat
• Mule deer