Yautlica Environmental Culture Center & Park

Yautlica is one of the most important centers of Environmental Culture run by Mexico City’s Secretary of the Environment. It’s taken on such prominence in part because of its location within the Sierra de Santa Catarina. An initiative by the City to improve access to the volcano chain, and to better protect it helped to make Yautlica into practically a command center during the heaviest months of project work.

The center’s location makes it convenient to Zapote Ecological Park, and the Zacatepec and Yecahuitzol parks. These four installations have made up some of the most important parts of the initiative to better preserve the entirety of the Sierra.

For visitors, Yautlica offers an extensive park of protected natural habitat. The center is the site of frequent workshops and presentations. The name, Yautlica, is a Nahuatl word meaning “Place of the Black Warrior.” The center strives to convert visitors and students into full-fledged warriors in the fight to save the environment.

The center also allows visitors to visit the extensive pollination gardens, especially for bees. But there are no shortage of walking trails and walkways. The buildings offer a natural rooftop garden. A collection of cacti and arboretum, urban gardens and greenhouses are all open to the public.

A walk to the center from the San Miguel Teotongo Cablebús covers some 1.8 kms and it’s a serious climb. Walking takes about 30 minutes. Taxis are widely available from the area of the Cablebús station and will cut that time significantly.