Bosque Los Colomos (Colomos Forest), Guadalajara (must see)

Bosque Los Colomos is an urban park northwest of the city of. The park is located on the limits of Guadalajara and Zapopan, forming one of the lungs of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. In this park there are several attractions from duck lakes, a Japanese garden, trails, jogging tracks, a picnic area and a cultural center.

Bosque Los Colomos is an urban park resulting from the transformation and exploitation of the original native forest whose wood was used for the construction of the city. At the end of the 19th century, the water resources began to be insufficient for the City of Guadalajara, which at the time were collected from the Colli springs. Faced with this situation, at the end of the 19th century, the government looked for alternatives to cover the growing demand for water in the city. In 1893, the construction project for the potable water distribution facilities for the city of Guadalajara began. It was about capturing different water resources to distribute drinking water to the city.

Bosque Los Colomos is located in the municipality of Guadalajara and represents a small portion of nature nestled in a large urban area. The House, known as El Castillo, is located within the park. The Castle and the potable water service facilities are the work of Eng. Agustín V. Pascal, begun in 1898 and inaugurated in 1902. These potable water facilities captured both the Colli and Los Colomos springs. The Castle served as the water administration center. These facilities supplied potable water to the City of Guadalajara until the mid-1960s. Currently, Los Colomos continue to supply potable water to neighborhoods neighboring the park.

The Castle, which was the headquarters of the administration of the water and hydraulic works of Los Colomos, currently functions as a House of Culture, where classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, folk dance for children and adults, conferences, film projections are taught. , plays, concerts and various exhibitions. Since 2007, the Los Colomos Forest has been a protected hydrological zone. It has activities to make the public aware of the importance of conserving the Park. The Park also receives school groups to carry out guided and interpretive tours, and do educational camps that are carried out in the area of the CECA (Center for Environmental Education and Culture) and whose purpose is to publicize the History of the Los Colomos Forest and make citizens aware that the natural services of Los Colomos are essential for the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area.

On March 17, 2018, Bosque los Colomos received its first national certification as "Center for Environmental Education and Culture Committed to the Environment" by SEMARNAT (Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources), which corresponds to Level 1 of 3, thus making this space the second with this certification in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. This certification was directed at the hands of the Colomos Environmental Education and Culture Center by Lic. Jesús Alberto Cinco Martínez (CECA Colomos Director) and his team, Biol. Izcally Miroslava Leal Cisneros (Educational Coordinator), Biol. Cristian Alejandro de the Torre Gutiérrez (Fauna Coordinator) and the LTS. María Eugenia Covarrubias Flores (Environmental Education Assistant).