Ethnobotanical Knowledge Within the Sierra Gorda, Querétaro, Mexico

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The northeastern mountain chain of the state of Querétaro, locally known as Sierra Gorda, is part of the Sierra Madre Oriental and constitutes a geographically, ecologically, and culturally diverse region. Tropical, temperate, and semiarid vegetation are the dominant biological communities, but riparian forests and grasslands are also present. Human colonization started with Chichimec groups of hunters and gatherers, and Mesoamerican groups arrived in the region later. Before the arrival of Europeans to Mexico, most of the Chichimec groups had abandoned the area, allowing the Mesoamerican’s expansion. Among the known ethnicities located in the mountains were the NyaꞋxu (Northern Pame), Teenek (Huastec), Ximpeces, Uzá’ (Chichimeco-jonaz), and Hñöñho (Semidesert Otomí). After the Spanish conquest, some Xi’oi, Teenek, and Hñöñho ethnic groups survived. Recent history shows a cultural mix associated with the diverse environments that generated different forms of plant uses, ecosystem management, and agroecosystems. The goal of this chapter is to provide an overview of the traditional knowledge on plant uses from natural and disturbed vegetation and from local agroecosystems. We registered 739 useful plant species from 19 vegetation types and five agroecosystems. The families Cactaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Pteridaceae, and Asparagaceae have the highest number of useful species, whereas the genera with the most useful species are Mammillaria, Opuntia, Agave, Salvia, Physalis, and Ipomoea. Within the ethnobotanical categories, medicinal, edible, ornamental, environmental services, and forage plants were the most important for local people. Most useful pants are obtained from tropical deciduous forest, oak forest, and piedmont scrub, but many species are gathered from the secondary vegetation of all types. The agrosystemic rank is based on the benefits they obtain and number of species. The milpas, homegardens (or “solares”), and induced grasslands or pastures (also called “potreros”) are the most important managed areas. The altered vegetation and agroforests have a diffuse border, with many useful species occurring in both areas and their transition zone. This chapter shows a general panorama of the ethnobotany of this important mountainous region of Mexico.