Grijalva River, formerly known as ''Tabasco River'', ( es, Río Grijalva, known locally also as Río Grande de Chiapas, Río Grande and Mezcalapa River) is a long
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in southeastern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
["Grijalva." '']Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary
''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary'' (''Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', ''Webster's New Geographical Dictionary'') is a gazetteer by the publisher Merriam-Webster. The latest edition was released in 2001, edited by Daniel J. Hopkins a ...
'', 3rd ed. 2001. () Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., p. 450. It is named after
Juan de Grijalva
Juan de Grijalva (; born c. 1490 in Cuéllar, Crown of Castile – 21 January 1527 in Honduras) was a Spanish conquistador, and a relative of Diego Velázquez.Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, He went to Hispa ...
who visited the area in 1518.
The river rises from Río Grande de Chiapas in southeastern Chiapas and flows from
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...
to the state of
Tabasco
Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It is located in ...
through the
Sumidero Canyon
Sumidero Canyon ( es, Cañón del Sumidero) is a deep natural canyon located just north of the city of Chiapa de Corzo in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. The canyon's creation began around the same time as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. ...
into the
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a bight (geography), bight in the southern area of the Gulf of Mexico, forming the north side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexico, Mexic ...
. Begins as "Río Grande de Chiapas" or "Río Mezcalapa", later, Río Grande is stopped at the
Angostura Dam (Mexico)
The Angostura Dam (officially known as the Belisario Domínguez Dam) is an embankment dam and hydroelectric power station on the Grijalva River near Venustiano Carranza in Chiapas, Mexico. The dam's power plant contains 5 x 180 MW, 3 x 310 MW F ...
, one of the largest reservoirs in Mexico, and then its course is now named "Grijalva River". The river's drainage basin is in size.
Because of the close connection to the
Usumacinta River
The Usumacinta River (; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (Guatemala), Sierra de Santa Cruz ...
(the two combine, flowing into the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...
in a single delta), they are often regarded as a single
river basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...
, the Grijalva-Usumacinta River.
Río Grande de Chiapas rises into
Sierra de los Cuchumatanes
The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes is the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America. Its elevations range from to over , and it covers a total area of .Lovell 2005:11 With an area of situated above , it is also the most extensive hig ...
, Guatemala;
in Guatemala receives the name "
Selegua River
The Seleguá () is a river in Guatemala. The river flows northwards from its sources in the highlands of Huehuetenango, from Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, until it crosses the border with Mexico at , and continues northwards into the Presa de La An ...
" and also is a large river.
After flowing from
Nezahualcoyotl Lake
The Malpaso Dam, officially known as the Nezahualcóyotl Dam, is located in the Centro region of Chiapas, Mexico near the border with Tabasco and Veracruz. It was the first of several major dams built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectri ...
, an artificial lake created by the
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
Malpaso Dam
The Malpaso Dam, officially known as the Nezahualcóyotl Dam, is located in the Centro region of Chiapas, Mexico near the border with Tabasco and Veracruz. It was the first of several major dams built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectri ...
, Grijalva River turns northward and eastward, roughly paralleling the Chiapas-Tabasco state border. It flows through
Villahermosa
Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Village") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the Municipalities of Mexico, municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an ...
(where, in 2001, a new cable-stayed bridge was constructed to cross the river) and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, approximately northwest of
Frontera. The river is navigable by shallow-draft boats for approximately upstream.
Gallery
Expedición de Girjalva 1518.svg, Juan de Grijalva, expedition in 1518. Discovery by the Europeans of the Grijalva River.
Sketch of the River Tabasco 1847-1848 UTA.jpg, ''Sketch of the River Tabasco'', 1847-48
ReserviortowardsCanyonChicoasen.jpg
ChicoasenDamClose.jpg, Chicoasén Dam
The Chicoasén Dam (officially known as Manuel Moreno Torres) is an embankment dam and hydroelectric power station on the Grijalva River near Chicoasén in Chiapas, Mexico. The dam's power plant, officially named for Manuel Moreno Torres, contai ...
MalpasoDam18.JPG, Malpaso Dam
The Malpaso Dam, officially known as the Nezahualcóyotl Dam, is located in the Centro region of Chiapas, Mexico near the border with Tabasco and Veracruz. It was the first of several major dams built on the Grijalva River to generate hydroelectri ...
Villahermosa Panorámica 3.jpg, Grijalva River flowing through Villahermosa
Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Village") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the Municipalities of Mexico, municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an ...
.
Villahermosa Vista del Grijalva.jpg
Centla Puente Frontera 2.jpg, Mouth
In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...
See also
*
Chiapas bridge
*
List of longest rivers of Mexico
Among the longest rivers of Mexico are 26 streams of at least . In the case of rivers such as the Colorado River, Colorado, the length listed in the table below is solely that of the main stem. In the case of the Grijalva River, Grijalva and Usum ...
References
Rivers of Chiapas
Rivers of Tabasco
Petén–Veracruz moist forests
{{Mexico-river-stub