Sierra de Tamaulipas
Sierra de Tamaulipas | |
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Geography | |
Location | Tamaulipas, Mexico |
Range coordinates | 23°15′N 98°24′W / 23.250°N 98.400°W |
The Sierra de Tamaulipas is an isolated, semi-tropical mountain range in the
On 5 December 2016, the Sierra de Tamaulipas was declared a "Protected Natural Area" by the government of Mexico. The Protected Area has a core area of 38,285 hectares (94,600 acres) and a buffer zone containing 269,992 hectares (667,160 acres).[1]
Geography
The Sierra de Tamaulipas is about 110 kilometres (68 mi) north to south and 64 kilometres (40 mi) east to west at its widest point in the southern part of the range. The Sierra is located between 23 and 24 north latitude and 98 and 99 west longitude and has an estimated area of 3,339 square kilometres (1,289 sq mi). Elevation ranges from 300 to 1,260 metres (980 to 4,130 ft).[2]
The Sierra de Tamaulipas has the characteristics of a
No major highways nor rivers cross the Sierra, nor are there any towns or cities. The population is rural. Abundant small, clear waterways drain from the highest points of the Sierra outward in all directions.
Climate
Precipitation in the Sierra de Tamaulipas ranges from about 710 millimetres (28 in) at the lowest elevations to more than 1,000 millimetres (39 in) at higher elevations. Most precipitation is in the summer between May and October, although winters are not as dry as in much of Mexico. Freezes are rare at lower elevations, but common in the temperate forests at higher altitudes. The climate of the hamlet of Santa Maria de los Nogales is typical of the higher elevations of the Sierra.
The climatic classification for Santa Maria under the
Climate data for Santa Maria de los Nogales, Tamaulipas. 23 12 29N, 98 21 30W, Elevation: 3,041 ft (927 m) (1950-2010) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 36.0 (96.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
41.0 (105.8) |
43.5 (110.3) |
41.0 (105.8) |
39.0 (102.2) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
32.5 (90.5) |
36.0 (96.8) |
33.5 (92.3) |
43.5 (110.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.7 (67.5) |
21.4 (70.5) |
25.1 (77.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.6 (83.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.7 (80.1) |
24.6 (76.3) |
22.4 (72.3) |
20.0 (68.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
17.9 (64.2) |
20.1 (68.2) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
16.9 (62.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
19.0 (66.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.8 (46.0) |
8.3 (46.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.8 (60.4) |
16.9 (62.4) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.3 (52.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.5 (41.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
7.5 (45.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 28.0 (1.10) |
16.0 (0.63) |
20.0 (0.79) |
37.0 (1.46) |
79.0 (3.11) |
135.0 (5.31) |
140.0 (5.51) |
158.0 (6.22) |
199.0 (7.83) |
87.0 (3.43) |
27.0 (1.06) |
39.0 (1.54) |
965.0 (37.99) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 5.8 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 7.2 | 8.8 | 9.4 | 11.1 | 11.7 | 7.4 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 85.2 |
Source: Weatherbase: Santa Maria de los Nogales, Tamaulipas.[5] |
Pre-Hispanic cultures
Due to greater precipitation than the surrounding lowlands, the Sierra de Tamaulipas was probably the northernmost area of eastern Mexico in which the cultivation of maize was practiced during pre-Hispanic times. Northward in the semi-arid brushlands extending into
Archaeologist
The first European to visit the coastal area adjacent to the Sierra was Francisco de Garay in 1523. Garay found maize cultivation up to about the Tropic of Cancer. From there northward lived hunter-gatherers who, according to Garay's men, were numerous and warlike on the lower stretches of the Soto La Marina River.[9]
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Sierra de Tamaulipas, Municipality of Aldama, Tamaulipas, Mexico
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View of karstic formations in the Sierra de Tamaulipas, Municipality of Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
References
- ^ "Decreto", Diario Oficial de la Federacion, http://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5464453&fecha=07/12/2016, accessed 4 Sep 2017
- ^ "Sierra de Tamaulipas: RTP-91" http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/regionalizacion/doctos/rtp_091.pdf, accessed 26 Feb 2013
- ^ Martin, Paul S., Robins, C. Richard, and Heed, William B. "Birds and Biogeography of the Sierra de Tamaulipas, an Isolated Pine-Oak Habitat" The Wilson Bulletin, Vol 66, No 1 (Mar 1954), pp. 41-42, 55
- ^ http://www.ri.cmu.edu/publication_view.html?pub_id=6144; "Cenotes de Aldama: RTP-94" http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conocimiento/regionalizacion/doctos/rtp_094.pdf, accessed 26 Feb 2013
- ^ "Travel Weather Averages". Weatherbase. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ Fiedel, Stuart J. Prehistory of the Americas, London: Cambridge University Press, 1991, pp. 171-172
- ^ "Turismo Arqueologico en Tamaulipas" [Archaeological tourism in Tamaulipas] (in Spanish). Visiting Mexico. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 2 Mar 2018.
- ^ "Zona Arqueologica el Sabinito" http://www.inah.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5500, accessed 3 Mar 2013
- ^ Salinas, Martin. Indians of the Rio Grande Delta Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990, p. 73. In the opinion of most authorities, Salinas mistakenly identifies the Soto La Marina River as the Rio Grande.