La Marquesa is the common name for the Parque Nacional Insurgente Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, situated west of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

 on the toll road heading towards Toluca

Toluca

Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...

, the capital of the State of Mexico. It lies in the municipalities of Ocoyoacac

Ocoyoacac

Ocoyoacac is a town and municipality in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 134.71 km². It is one of the 17 municipalities that border Mexico City...

, Huixquilucan, and Lerma de Villada

Lerma, Mexico State

Lerma is a city and municipality located just east of Toluca and 54 km west of Mexico City in Mexico State, Mexico. The city was founded in the early colonial period and named after the Duke of Lerma in Spain. The municipal area saw two battles of the Mexican War of Independence, the Battle...

 in the State of Mexico, and also in the adjacent Cuajimalpa

Cuajimalpa

Cuajimalpa de Morelos is one of the 16 boroughs of Mexico City. Its name comes from the indigenous expression "over sticks of wood"...

 borough of the Distrito Federal

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

. It is also west of the Desierto de los Leones National Park

Desierto de los Leones National Park

Desierto de los Leones National Park is located entirely within the limits of the Federal District, it stretches between Cuajimalpa and Álvaro Obregón boroughs....

. Most of the forested area is on the north side of the highway. The main park entrance is opposite a restaurant called "Restaurant Mesón del Tío Pepe" on the highway (the free road). There are footpaths that lead into the woods and past picnic tables as well as a Centro de Información Turistica. Horses are also available for rent. Near the village of La Marquesa is a statue of three riders (Miguel Hidalgo

Miguel Hidalgo

Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...

, Ignacio Allende

Ignacio Allende

Ignacio José de Allende y Unzaga , born Ignacio Allende y Unzaga, was a captain of the Spanish Army in Mexico who came to sympathize with the Mexican independence movement. He attended the secret meetings organized by Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, where the possibility of an independent New Spain was...

 and Mariano Jiménez) looking west toward Mexico City. This statue commemorates the Battle of Las Cruces, which took place here in October 1810. Another area is the Valle del Silencio (Valley of Silence). However, today this 'silent' area is a popular weekend getaway and is full of horse rental places, food stands offering dishes made from rabbit and trout, picnic tables and places to rent go-kart

Go-kart

thumb|A [[Kart racing|racing kart]] at the [[Commission Internationale de Karting|CIK-FIA]] European Championship 2008A go-kart is a small four-wheeled vehicle...

s, and ATV

All-terrain vehicle

An all-terrain vehicle , also known as a quad, quad bike, three wheeler, or four wheeler, is defined by the American National Standards Institute as a vehicle that travels on low pressure tires, with a seat that is straddled by the operator, along with handlebars for steering control...

s.