Cuatro Ciénegas () is a city in the northern Mexican

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

of Coahuila. It stands at , at an average elevation of above sea level. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It is located in the state's desert region ''(Región Desierto)''. Cuatro Ciénegas is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "four

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

es"; the name was chosen by the first settlers because of the natural springs in the vicinity that create extensive areas of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

and lakes. Archeological excavations indicate settlement in the area from approximately 5000 years ago, as well as ritual use of peyote by the inhabitants. Several failed settlements were founded here prior to the successful establishment of a town by Antonio Cordero y Bustamante on 24 May 1800. The settlement's original name was Nuestra Señora de los Dolores y Cuatro Ciénegas, which was later changed to Villa Venustiano Carranza, before finally settling on its current name. The city is formally known as Cuatro Ciénegas de Carranza, in honour of its most famous son:

Venustiano Carranza José Venustiano Carranza de la Garza (; 29 December 1859 – 21 May 1920) was a Mexican wealthy land owner and politician who was Governor of Coahuila when the constitutionally elected president Francisco I. Madero was overthrown in a Februa ...

President of Mexico The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Co ...

from 1915 to 1920, who was born there in 1859. The municipality reported 12,154 inhabitants in the year 2000 census.

Cuatro Ciénegas Basin

The Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) is an official

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in Mexico. The basin has inflowing rivers and streams from the near region, but it is

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

(no natural outflow); a number of artificial channels leading water out of it have been made for

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...

and in prehistoric times it was part of the Rio Grande (Rio Bravo) basin. The nature reserves are small ecosystems with unique fauna and flora that are highly protected by government authorities. Recently, NASA stated that the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin could have strong links to discovering life on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, since the adaptability of bioforms in the region was unique in the world. There are some 150 different plants and animals

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to the valley and its surrounding mountains (e.g., ''

Fouquieria shrevei ''Fouquieria shrevei'' is a plant species native to the States of Coahuila and Durango states of northeastern Mexico. It is simply referred to as an ocotillo. It is endemic to some scattered gypsum outcroppings in the Bolsón de Mapimí, where th ...

''). Among the many aquatic species in the Reserve are three

turtles ( Coahuilan box turtle, Cuatro Ciénegas slider and Cuatro Cienegas softshell), eight endemic fish (

Minckley's cichlid The Minckley's cichlid (''Herichthys minckleyi'') is a species of fish in the family Cichlidae. It is endemic to Cuatro Ciénegas in Coahuila, Mexico. The specific name honours the ichthyologist Wendell L. Minckley (1935-2001) of Arizona State U ...

, Cuatro Cienegas shiner, Tufa darter, Bolson pupfish, Cuatro Cienegas pupfish, Cuatrociengas gambusia, Cuatrocienegas killifish and northern platyfish), and several endemic crustaceans and gastropods, especially

hydrobiid Hydrobiidae, commonly known as mud snails, is a large cosmopolitan family of very small freshwater and brackish water snails with an operculum; they are in the order Littorinimorpha. Distribution Hydrobiidae are found in much of the world, ...

freshwater snails. Live

stromatolite Stromatolites () or stromatoliths () are layered sedimentary formations ( microbialite) that are created mainly by photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and Pseudomonadota (formerly proteobacteria). T ...

s inhabit Cuatro Ciénegas' pools. These are colonies of certain types of cyanobacteria, extinct in most of the world, linked to the origin of an oxygen rich atmosphere over 3 billion years ago. A tiny copepod crustacean, '' Leptocaris stromatolicolus'', is known only from the interstices of these stromatolites and bottom sediments in the saline pools. The pools are an

oligotroph An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments. Oligotrophs are characterized by slow growth, low rates o ...

ic environment with little available

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...

, leading one local bacterial species, ''

Bacillus coahuilensis ''Bacillus coahuilensis'' is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive, motile, spore-forming bacterium. This species was isolated from water samples taken from a highly saline desert lagoon in Coahuila, Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially ...

'', to acquire the genes necessary to partially replace its membrane phospholipids with sulfolipids through

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between unicellular and/or multicellular organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). H ...

. Several environmental conservation leaders are working to protect the valley, including

Pronatura Noreste Pronatura Noreste is a Mexican nongovernmental, nonprofit organization recognized by the National Council of Science and Technology as a scientific and educational organization. Pronatura Noreste is one of six regional offices of the Pronatura M� ...

. The organization owns a private reserve, called Pozas Azules, and has several ongoing projects that include the protection of native species, including

s and the eradication of invasive flora and fauna, as well as community development and water efficient agriculture combined with organic techniques.

Tourism

Cuatro Ciénegas has several natural tourist attractions, including white dunes and many wetlands which have unique

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s. The most famous natural attractions are:

Poza Azul

Poza Azul is a protected wetland, located from Cuatrociénegas seat. It is one of the best known wetlands in Cuatrociénegas. There is a photographic exhibition hall of the flora and fauna of the reserve, viewing platforms, and self-guided trails.

La Poza de la Becerra

La Poza de la Becerra (Spanish: The Pool of the Calf) is located from the county seat, on road number 30 Cuatrociénegas-Torreon. It is part of the biosphere reserve of Cuatrociénegas. The area contains many species endemic to the region.

Poza Churince

Poza Churince is located from the Cuatrociénegas seat by the federal highway 30 Cuatrociénegas-Torreon. It is an area of spring waters and varying temperatures.

Las Playitas

Las Playitas is a large extension of wetlands located close to the municipal seat.

White dunes

Also known in Spanish as "Las Dunas de Yeso,” white dunes cover a large area of white sand that consists of

calcium sulfate Calcium sulfate (or calcium sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the formula CaSO4 and related hydrates. In the form of γ-anhydrite (the anhydrous form), it is used as a desiccant. One particular hydrate is better known as plaster of Paris ...

. They are considered the largest in the country, and the third largest in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Other tourist attractions

Other featured wetlands include "Nogalito" and the ecotouristic park "La Ilusión,” as well as El Entronque and El Mesquite resorts. The Sierra de la Campana, a mountain range with a huge crater called El hundido, is also a tourist attraction. Cuatro Cienégas is also an important wine-making region; the winery Bodegas Ferrino, founded by a 19th-century Italian immigrant near the town of Cuatro Ciénegas, is the second largest producer of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

in Coahuila. The site attracts many visitors who are immersed in the process of making wine and it offers guide tours around the Cuatro Ciénegas valley.

Drying out

Scientists working in the basin and some local residents claim to have observed reduced spring discharge and a decrease in surface water in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin (CCB) in recent years, although these changes have not been well documented in the scientific literature. Some have blamed the possible drying out on changes in climate and others have ascribed it to the introduction of large scale agriculture in adjacent valleys over the past two decades. Valeria Souza, an ecology professor and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, found that based on genetic studies of microbes in the CCB and surrounding valleys, the aquifer extends far beyond the CCB and includes adjacent valleys. She published her results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in April 2006. Regarding the source of drying out, she wrote: "Similar to situations occurring with increasing frequency in various arid regions of the world, agricultural development and associated water extraction in the region have placed new pressures on the ecological integrity of the unique ecosystems of Cuatro Ciénegas." Research by hydrogeologist Brad Wolaver at the University of Texas at Austin, now at Flinders University, also found evidence that the

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

supplying the water that emerges at the surface of the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin extends far beyond the basin and thus is potentially impacted by agricultural water extraction in adjacent valleys.Wolaver (2008), "Delineation of Regional Arid Karstic Aquifers: An Integrative Data Approach" http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/119390551/PDFSTART

Climate

References

External links

Cuatro Ciénagas: municipal webpagePronatura Noreste in the Chihuahuan Desert Cuatrociénagas, Desert Fishes Council Cuatrociénegas Scientific Research Center / Centro de Investigación Científica de Cuatrociénegas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuatro Cienegas Populated places in Coahuila * Pueblos Mágicos Chihuahuan Desert Biosphere reserves of Mexico Deserts of Mexico Wetlands of Mexico Ramsar sites in Mexico Flora and fauna protection areas of Mexico Protected areas of Coahuila Important Bird Areas of Mexico Protected areas of the Chihuahuan Desert World Heritage Tentative List for Mexico