The Municipality
The part of the city that lies within Naucalpan Municipality is nearly co-extensive with the municipality, with only the Los Remedios National Park and several ejidos remaining mostly unurbanized. The municipality consists of 233 neighborhoods in the city proper, 18 small villages, 71 residential developments and two rural housing developments. Together, these localities cover an extension of 149.86km2. The municipality is located in the Valley of Mexico, just northeast of Mexico City and northwest of Mexico State capital of Toluca. The municipality borders the municipalities of Atizapan de Zaragoza, Tlalnepantla de Baz, Jilotzingo, Huixquilucan de Degollado, Xonacatlán and Lerma with the Mexico City Federal District to the east and southeast.
The highest peaks are the Organo and La Malinche mountains at 3650 meters above sea level. Other notable elevations include la Cantera, El Cedral, San Joselito, La Plantación and Peña del Rayo. The main rivers through the area include the Totolina, San Lorenzo and Los Remedios. Water supply for the municipality is supplemented by 28 deep wells, and an aqueduct that brings water from the Lerma River. It has a temperate climate with a rainy season in the summer and early fall. Freezing temperatures occur between November and February, but the last significant snowfall occurred in 1967. Vegetation outside the city proper consists of conifers and oaks, with orchards of fruit trees such as plums, apples and pears. Most wildlife consists of small mammals such as squirrels and opossums along with small reptiles and birds. However, deforestation is a major problem. There are eight ejidos, five of which are dedicated to agriculture and the rest to other activities. Agricultural production includes animal feed, barley, beans, corn, wheat, avocados, peaches and cactus fruit. Livestock includes cattle, pigs, sheep and domestic fowl. There is also some trout farming. Building stone, sand and gravel are still mined here. However, the overwhelming majority of the municipality’s economic activity is the industry and commerce in the city proper.
The major un-urbanized area of the municipality is the Los Remedios National Park, located in the far west. This park was established by decrees in 1938 by the federal government with an area of 400 hectares. Within its borders is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Los Remedios, a colonial area aqueduct and a pre-Hispanic archeological zone with a Chichimeca temple. All of these are located in and around the mountain called Cerro Moctezuma. The site was an Aztec observatory and is also believed to be where Cortés and his men rested after fleeing Tenochtitlan.
The aqueduct is 500 meters long and consists of fifty arches which measure 16 meters high and extend 1.7 meters into the ground. The first stage was built in 1616 under viceroy Diego Fernandez de Cordoba with the objective of bringing water to the Sanctuary of Los Remedios from a spring at the village of San Francisco Chimalpa. This water was also used to irrigate fields in the villages of San Bartolomé, Santa Maria Nativitas and Santa Cruz. The aqueduct is mostly of clay pipes with two large spiral towers to release air. These towers flank the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Los Remedios and are nicknamed “caracoles” (snails) By 1764, the amount of wáter this system delivered was no longer enough and viceroy Joaquín de Monserrat had the arched system built, which was finished in 1765. Eventually, this system could not deliver water and became simply an architectural monument.
Seventy five percent of the original surface of the park now has illegal settlements, including settlements which have been authorized by local authorities. While these settlements can be confiscated and destroyed under federal law, this has not happened. The federal environmental agency Profepa has received complaints about the most recent invasions into the park area, which as felled dozens of trees. The agency has responded with inspections of plans by a developer to build two subdivisions near the colonial era aqueduct to verify if the land is private or public. One reason for this is that the park lacks conservation plans, fences and other means to fend off development efforts. The illegal settlements and development have also affected adjoining ejido land that adjoin the park. This and the fact that housing is now starting to encroach the archeological zone has promted the involvement of INAH and the organization of neighboring communities to protest.
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