La Marquesa National Park

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La Marquesa is the common name for the Parque Nacional Insurgente Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla which is situated west of Mexico City on the toll road that heads towards Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico. It is also west of the Desierto de los Leones National Park. Most of the forested area is on the north side of the highway. The main park entrance is opposite a restaurant called "Restaurant Mesón del Tío Pepe" on highway (the free road). There are footpaths that lead into the woods and past picnic tables as well as a Centro de Información Turistica. Horses are also available for rent. Near the village of La Marquesa is a statue of three riders (Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and Mariano Jiménez) looking west toward Mexico City. This statue commemorates the Battle of Las Cruces, which took place here in October 1810. Another area is the Valle del Silencio (Valley of Silence). However, today this 'silent' area is a popular weekend getaway and is full of horse rental places, food stands offering dishes made from rabbit and trout, picnic tables and places to rent go-karts and ATVs. ^[1]