Facts About The Cerro del Bernal
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The town of Tanchoy that doubtlessly was established in the east side of the mountain was densely populated like shows a great amount of arqueological vestiges that are scattered througout a large area. In 1962, when there were, in this wooded-fertile area, several bulldozer machines destroying the woods in the east side of the hill to plant cotton, exactly where now is El Casco Farms, we were eyewitnesses of the infame destruction of many arqueological wealths and vestiges of which it was without a doubt the old town of Tanchoy. We want to add that aside from this town of the Bernal, many other small indian communities there must have existed either in this epoch or another previous apoch. The reason is because there have been found in the east plains and in the South part of the mountain, towards the Tamesi river, many vestiges like little idols, spoons, whistles, tepalcates, pots, huilanches made of mud or stone, all of these with characteristics of the Huasteco post-clasic. Upon the great hill in the woods is a spring of regular capacity surrounded by immense avocado and chicozapote trees that without a doubt were planted by the Huastecos indians of Tanchoy.
The BERNAL MOUNTAIN is a strategic and geographic center. Gonzalez, Tamaulipas is a nailed municipality in the center of the southern Tamaulipas region.It includes within its territory in the North end of the municipality a great part of the fertil mountain range of Tamaulipas, and almost to the center of the great plain that covers about 3 thousand km.2, rises majestic and imposing, between forest and plains, the famous Hill of El Bernal, completely isolated and away of all montain range zones; all of that makes it be, by its characteristics, a rare and mysterious geographic fenomenon. Although its height only reaches 820 mts. over the sea level, its isolated and solitary situation makes it an outstanding elevation of first order in the State of Tamaulipas. The large amounts of volcanic rocks in its surroundings confirms that the origin of its rocky existence and elevation come from an inactive volcano that did its last eruption many thousands of decades ago. Since it is clearly seen in all its splendor from the Tampico-Mante and Gonzalez-Cd. Victory highways, the mountain always calls the attention to the traveller, due to the geographic situation in which it is located.
The hill is conformed by two different areas.The first area is a great hill similar to an inverted cone, which base has a diameter of approximately ten kilometers and is covered by an almost tropical-dense forest; and the second area is an immense mass of stone that rises up magesticly almost vertical in the center of the great hill, with proportions of remarkable dimensions, and only being on the summit can its greatfulness be appreciated . The great hill that serves as base to the gigantic and rocky elevation, is accessible by all directions, if the regularity of its slope is considered, and only in some places where the vegetation that covers it, it is full of entangled and thorny vines and upholstered of huapillas that force the expeditionary to break through with machete on hand. The masses of stone that rise on the top of the hill, which has a circumference of approximately 5 thousand meters, have from the base of hill towards the summit about 300 meters in an almost vertical slope, having many cracks in the immense walls; By the northeast side, that is, towards Magiscatzin, the rocky mass has a regular inclination. This is the only way to the top of the mountain by where it is accessible with no need of mountain climbing tools; although it does imply certain danger for there are many loose rocks and when climbing they come off when one tries to grasp from them.
We have had the fortune to admire from the top of the Bernal de Horcasitas' summit, the wonderful panorama of the fertile plain of southern Tamaulipas during six occasions since January 19, 1952, when in an excursion of the "Aztec" Sport Club, we managed to scale for the first time this great geographic wonder, which is pride of Gonzalez and a Tamaulipas simbol.
From the heights of the the Bernal mountain we have observed in all its splendor the beautiful Mountain range of Tamaulipas, and in a great length the track of the Guayalejo river or Tamesi river that flows on its foot. The dams and lagoons, of great dimensions, from the heights simulate mirrors where the blue sky of our countryside is reflected; the Tampico-Mante highway looks like an ant track where the vehicles seem to be the ants; the towns of and Magiscatzin can be seen almost at perfeccion. The main constructions of Gonzalez and Mante City, are visible from the peak as distant spots. When we have been on the heights of the Bernal we have felt in our hearts a mixture of joyfulness and satisfaction as we were reached an infinite goal in the highest of our aspirations to be able to admire with fullness the natural beauty of our municipality that we loved so much.
The Bernal mountain even keeps many mysteries and many surprises. The thickness of its woods, the denseness of its forests between immense rocks have prevented to be explored totally. Archeological lost ruins between the thickness, natural caverns little known, innumerable legends and narrations, an abundant water spring in the forest zone, the orchard of avocados and chicozapotes inheritance of the Huasteco and Pison Indians that dwelled at Bernal's base until about 400 Aprils are a clear testimony of this culture. Almost in all the plain of its surroundings there are vestiges of old indian establishments.
We have worthy data that by 1905, after the season of waters, when the spring turns into little stream that runs about 300 meters before losing itself between the rocks, some cowboys working for Don German Martinez near the orchard, found little mounds of small-sandy stones that had being left by the water currents. They seemed interesting to them by their brightness and filled a lunch bag of them and they took them to their boss, who then took them to be analyze in San Luis Potosi, which was the closest mining center. With the surprising result that it was goldy sand with over 50 % of pure gold. As soon as they returned from San Luis Potosi, they prepared an excursion to the hill, after three months of that finding. When arriving at the site, the little stream had abundant water. During three days they worked laboriously; however, they did not find nothing important. We also we have reliable data that tells us that in this epoch ASOGUE was accidentally found in El Bernal and in several occasions it was possible to gather good amounts of the heavy and liquid metal.
