Chiamilpan

The San Lorenzo Chamilpán Ecotourism Park is one of the best known and loved in the very north of Cuernavaca inMorelos. The park is named for the ancient community centered around the San Lorenzo Chamilpán church. That's to the southeast in the same neighborhood and, somewhat unusually for a church this old (16th century), it still retains the inverted-arch atrial walls. Frequently still misspelled, the name Chamilpa refers to the field, (milpas) where chia was grown in abundance. During the long colonial period, local production was mostly shifted to sugar production.  

Today, the neighborhood is better known for hosting the UAEM, the Autonomous University of Morelos. Importantly, the university shares some of its space with the National University, UNAM. So having a natural space butting up against the campus is an important advantage for students and area residents too. The park itself is today dedicated to environmental conservation and outdoor recreation. Designated areas make space for for picnics, kids play areas and even a few for overnight camping. There are also designated trails that lead into the upper forested areas and sensitive environmental protection zones. It's a wonderful area of forests, fields and glens, with occasional views of the volcanoes and mountains to the north. 

The park pushes into the Chichinautzin Biological Corridor that stretches across the south of Mexico City. It's an important federally protected area of some 65,721 hectares connecting the El Tepozteco national park in the east in Tepoztlan with the Lagunas de Zempoala national park in the west. Chamilpán is nearly in the middle. 

Visitors, whether to go hiking and mountain biking, or those just hoping for a rest, will mostly arrive from other parts of Cuernavaca. Some local buses will let you get off here, but visitors can also follow transit routes to the UAEM, and a very few will actually say San Lorenzo Chamilpán.