The Suchiate River ( es, Río Suchiate, ) is a river that marks the southwesternmost part of
the border between
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 ...
(state of
Chiapas) and
Guatemala (department of
San Marcos
San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to:
Towns and cities Argentina
* San Marcos, Salta
Colombia
* San Marcos, Antioquia
* San Marcos, Sucre
Costa Rica
* San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú)
...
). From its sources on the southern slopes of the
Tacaná volcano in the
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre (Spanish, 'mother mountain range') may refer to:
Places and mountains Mexico
*Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona
*Sierra Madre Oriental, a mountain range in northeastern Mexico
*S ...
range of Guatemala, the river flows in a south-southwesterly direction to the border with Mexico at
Unión Juárez (), past the border towns
Talismán and El Carmen, and then
Ciudad Tecún Umán and
Ciudad Hidalgo (Chiapas) further downstream, where the
Puente Rodolfo Robles and a
railway bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
cross the river, and on to the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
. Its name comes from the
Nahuatl name ''Xochiatl'' meaning "flower-water".
The pre-Columbian archaeological site of
Izapa
Izapa is a very large pre-Columbian archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Chiapas; it is best known for its occupation during the Late Formative period. The site is situated on the Izapa River, a tributary of the Suchiate River, ...
lies along the river.
References
*
*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.
*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993.
See also
*
Rail transport in Guatemala
Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run.
History
Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San J ...
*
Rail transport in Mexico
Mexico has a freight railway system owned by the national government and operated by various entities under concessions (charters) granted by the national government. The railway system provides freight and passenger service throughout the coun ...
Rivers of Guatemala
Rivers of Mexico
Guatemala–Mexico border
International rivers of North America
Rivers of Chiapas
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