Cerro de las Mitras

The Cerro de las Mitras is the long, jagged ridge that closes Monterrey's western horizon, the counterpart to the Cerro de la Silla on the east. It belongs to the Sierra Madre Oriental and runs for about 21 km from west to east, with its slopes shared by the municipalities of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Santa Catarina and García. Its highest point, Pico Cuauhtémoc, is about 2,060 meters above sea level (some measurements give 2,069 m), and the mountain has a prominence of around 1,400 meters. Together with the Cerro de la Silla and the Cerro de Chipinque it makes up what locals call the trilogy of Monterrey's mountains.

The name comes from the outline of its summits, which reminded early settlers of a bishop's mitre. It is older than the city itself: the founding act of Monterrey in 1596 already mentions the Sierra de las Mitras twice, and the name is usually credited to the explorer Alberto del Canto. The mountain was also a mining district. Silver ore was found in the early 17th century, Governor Martín de Zavala inspected its mines in 1626, and lead, silver and iron were worked over the following centuries; the La Voladora mine on the north slope operated roughly from 1900 to 1918, and its owner was absorbed by the Peñoles company in 1920. Today limestone quarries cut into its flanks to supply cement and lime, a long-running source of complaints about damage to the mountain and to the city's air.

For hikers and climbers the Mitras is a serious mountain. From west to east its seven main peaks are Cuauhtémoc (about 2,069 m), Piñón (1,959 m), Pirámide (2,019 m), Perico (2,035 m), Piloto (1,953 m), Lobos (1,880 m) and Alfa, also called Apache (1,890 m); several need technical or aid climbing, while Alfa is a scramble. Other landmarks include the Siete Brujas pinnacles, the Pico del Agua and the Piquín. The path called El Nivel starts at La Voladora at about 1,570 meters and runs almost level along the north face, linking ravines through old mine tunnels, and routes such as the Ruta del Minero, Punto y Guion and the Cueva de los Cristales explore the old workings and caves. The ultimate challenge is the end-to-end traverse of the ridge: about 28 km over 15 peaks with some 3,500 meters of climbing, which the fastest recorded team has done in 10 hours 28 minutes.