Las EstacasA Natural Sanctuary in Morelos

Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath*Fernando Urbina Torres*

Las EstacasA Natural Sanctuary in Morelos

Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath*Fernando Urbina Torres*

Voices of Mexico • 54

The state of Morelos is re nowned for itsnatural re sources and climate. That,together with its proximity to Mex ico’s

political and economic center, has made it afavorite watering hole for Mexico City residentsand celebrities from abroad. In pre-Hispanictimes, the Emperor Moctezuma esta blished thefirst known botanical gardens in what is nowOaxtepec, then a resort for Aztec emperors. Later,Hernán Cortés established his residence in Cuer -navaca, and in the nine teenth century, Maxi mi -lian had his summer house in what we now knowas the Borda Gardens.Throughout the state, we find a mosaic of

natural ecosystems that range from temperateforest in the higher regions to low deciduousjungle in the subtropical areas. Also, thanks tothe flow of underwater streams in the Chi -

chinautzin Mountains, the Morelos valleys havemore than 50 springs that make urban devel-opment, agriculture and industry possible, inaddition to tourism, particularly the state’s 39water resorts. Mo relos boasts several tradition-al resorts with springs like Agua Hedionda, LosCanarios and El Papagayo and some techno-logically developed ones, like El Rollo and Oax -tepec. The Las Es ta cas Aquatic Park, however, isrenowned for its natural endowments, its designand administration.

NATURE

The wellhead of the Las Estacas spring spewsout more than 7,000 liters of water a second, cre-ating a river of crystalline waters surrounded bythe riparian forest that looks like a tropical jun-gle. Sixty-eight species of plants have been foundhere, and its upper reaches are dominated by fig

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* Researchers at the Morelos State Auto nomousUniversity Center for Biolo gical Research.

Las Estacas has been recently declared a state reserve.

Photos by Daniel M

unguía

The Splendor of Mexico

trees and palms. Thanks to the abundant water,this vegetation stays green all year round, mak-ing it a refuge for many animals, among them132 species of birds (including 12 kinds of hum -mingbirds), 8 kinds of mammals and differentreptile species. But the spring itself also holdsother species: 11 kinds of aquatic plants and 9species of fish, some of which are native to thisarea. All this makes it a veritable sanctuary,particularly given the serious deterioration ofthe region’s aquatic ecosystems.

THE HISTORY

On a sunny winter morning in 1941, Don JulioCalderón Fuentes took his daughter Margaritato see one of the most beautiful natural sightsin central Mexico. Months before, on a huntingtrip, Don Julio had found an amazing wellhead

that created a river of cold, crystalline waterssurrounded by luxuriant vegetation contrastingsharply with the dry land around it. From thatday on, Don Julio fell in love with the place andmoved heaven and earth to get enough moneyto buy the land; he could think of no betterlegacy for his favorite daughter.Fifty years later, in the shade of an ancient

fig tree, Doña Margarita de González Sarabia tellsus the marvelous story of Las Estacas, a historythat dates from the twelfth century when the Tla -huica people settled in the area. During the con-quest, some of the Tlahuica towns —among themYau tepec and Oaxte pec— became vi llas belong-ing to the Marquisate of the Valley, owned byHernán Cortés. In the early seventeenth century,the Barreto and Temilpa haciendas were built.A little later, Temilpa be came a sugar plantationand refinery, using the river water to drive its mill,incorporating Las Estacas into the hacienda.

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Before the revolution, President Díaz would bathe in Las Estacas’ mineral-rich waters when he felt ill.

Voices of Mexico • 54

During the War of Independence, the roy-alist army laid siege to Cua utla, commandedby José María Mo relos y Pavón, who pickedGenerals Ayala and Galeana to break throughthe enemy lines. They managed to get out ofCuautla, but the royalists defending the ha -ciendas trapped them in Temilpa. The tworebel generals defended themselves until theenemy set the hacienda on fire and killed mostof their men. During the 30-year regime ofPorfirio Díaz that ended with the MexicanRevolution, the Temilpa hacienda belonged toManuel de Alarcón, the governor of Morelos.When Díaz felt ill, he would bathe in the spring,seeking to cure himself with the mineral-richwaters. During the revolution, Zapata pickedTlaltizapán as his general headquarters, whichwould lead us to think he visited Las Estacas.It was in that period that the Temilpa hacien-da was destroyed and abandoned by the Alar -cón family.

THE STRATEGY

Seeking to preserve the natural wealth of thearea for present and future generations, for thelast three years, Doña Margarita Sarabia andher children have been working closely with agroup of conservation biologists from theMorelos State Auto nomous University Centerfor Biolo gi cal Research. Their efforts are aimedat developing and implementing a proposal forsustainable management of the area that wouldprovide visitors with both leisure acti vities andcomfort, as well as promoting environmentalculture. The project includes different kinds ofactivities, from the design of the concept andimage of the park to concrete proposals for con-servation and ecological restoration.Among the important results to date of this

group’s efforts is the fact that Las Estacas hasbeen declared a state reserve, which at leastensures that no new development projects will

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Vegetation stays green all year round making the area a refuge for many animals.

The Splendor of Mexico

be carried out there without taking into consid -eration existing environmental legislation. Inaddition, a nursery specializing in plants fromthe low jungle will be the basis for a reforestationprogram in the entire protected area as well asthe propagation of some endangered specieslike the pegahueso (Euphorbia fulva).One of Las Estacas’ successful pro jects has

been environmental education through the “Ex -plore” program, offering training courses andworkshops on all educational levels. These in -clude one or several days of land and aquaticactivities, such as the observation of nocturnalbirds and mammals, or underwater observationof river fish.Las Estacas may well be the only project

nationwide that works to conserve and restoreendangered fish species; its efforts include pro-tecting Balsas River Basin species like the nativecichlid perch (Cichlasoma istlanum) and the Bal -sas River catfish (Ictalurus balsanus).

What can be achieved by linking businesspeople committed to the environment —likethe Sarabia family— with research groups istruly remarkable. This work has rendered itsfirst results with the changing attitudes amongvisitors and the awards given: for example lastyear Doña Margarita was given the José MaríaMorelos y Pavón medal for ecological merit, ayearly honor bestowed by the state of Morelosto those who have wor ked to defend the envi-ronment. In 2000, the park itself was given an hon-

orary mention in the “company” category as arecipient of the Na tional Ecology Prize, award-ed each year by Mexico’s president as part ofthe celebrations of World Environment Day.While enormous strides have been made, a

great deal is still left to be done. Undeniably,however, there is real com mitment to conserv-ing this invaluable natural patrimony of thestate of Morelos.

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Las Estacas is an example of what can be achieved by people committed to preserving the environment.