Monterrey and the Sierra Madre
Capital De Nuevo LeóN / Parque Fundidora · Monterrey, Nuevo León
Monterrey is Mexico's industrial capital, a city of about five million in a bowl of limestone mountains, and the one big Mexican city where the rock is part of the reason to come. It was founded in 1596 and grew rich on steel, brewing and cement. In recent decades it has turned that inheritance into public space: the Fundidora steelworks, closed in 1986, is now a large park with the blast furnaces left standing and a museum, Horno3, inside Furnace Number Three. The Macroplaza, a 40-hectare cut through the old centre, links to the Paseo Santa Lucia, a 2.5 km canal walk to the park. Above it all stands the saddle-shaped Cerro de la Silla. Half an hour away are La Huasteca canyon and Potrero Chico, a world-class climbing area. It is not a colonial city, so do not expect an old zocalo. Summers pass 40 degrees, hotels are cheaper at weekends than midweek, and the food is cabrito and carne asada rather than tacos al pastor.
Macroplaza, Centro, Monterrey, Nuevo León, 64000, Mexico
An open city - the Macroplaza, Paseo Santa Lucía and Parque Fundidora are free public space, open daily. Horno3 inside the blast furnace, MARCO and the city museums keep daytime hours and generally close Mondays. Santa Lucía canal boats run through the day and into the evening. ⚠ THE MACROPLAZA, THE CANAL AND FUNDIDORA FORM ONE CONTINUOUS FLAT ROUTE about 2.5 km long - it is the whole city visit and it is essentially step-free. ⚠ SUMMER REGULARLY EXCEEDS 40 DEGREES IN A MOUNTAIN BOWL - do mountain activities at dawn or not at all from May to September. ⚠ HOTEL PRICING INVERTS HERE: this is a business city, so midweek is expensive and weekends are cheap. ⚠ POTRERO CHICO CLIMBING SEASON IS ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO MARCH. ⚠ CHECK CURRENT ADVICE AND AVOID INTERCITY HIGHWAY TRAVEL AFTER DARK. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.
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