Lake Chapala ( es, Lago de Chapala, ) is

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

's largest freshwater

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

. It lies in the municipalities of Ocotlán, Chapala, Jocotepec, Poncitlán, and Jamay, in

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal ...

, and in

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 February ...

and Cojumatlán de Régules, in

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

Geography

Geographic features

It is located at , southeast of

Guadalajara, Jalisco Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

, and is situated on the border between the states of

and

, at 1,524 metres (5000 feet) above sea level. Its approximate dimensions are from east to west and averages 12.5 km (7.8 miles) from north to south, and covers an approximate area of . It is a shallow lake, with a mean depth of and a maximum of . It is fed by the

Río Lerma The Lerma River ( es, Río Lerma) is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, nea ...

, Río Zula, Río Huaracha, and Río Duero rivers, and drained by the Rio Grande de Santiago. The water then would normally flow northwest into the Pacific Ocean. No water has flowed out of the lake in over 30 years due to a fall in the supply of incoming water from the Lerma River.

Islands

The lake contains three small islands: Isla de los Alacranes (most visible from the town of Chapala), Isla Mezcala (the largest island, featuring an old Spanish fort and an old Mexican prison), and a third very small island next to Isla Mezcala called La Isla Menor.

Mountains

There are many mountains and sierras that surround Lake Chapala: Cerro Viejo-Chupinaya-Los Sabinos (Sierra San Juan Cosalá), Cerro San Miguel-Chiquihuitillo, Cerro San Bartolo-Los Ocotes, Cerro Gomeño, Cerro de García-Del Picacho-El Gachupín (Sierra del Tigre).

Ecology

The city of

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Mexico, while the Guadalaj ...

has relied on Lake Chapala as a principal source of water since the 1950s. Shortly after, a few consecutive years of poor rainfall dramatically decreased the water level of the lake. The level rebounded until 1979, when Lake Chapala's water level began rapidly decreasing due to increases in urban water consumption. Erosion due to deforestation along the lake as well as the

Lerma River The Lerma River ( es, Río Lerma) is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, nea ...

has led to increased sedimentation of the lake, also contributing to loss of lake depth. The shrinking depth has also raised the lake's average temperature, resulting in increased evaporation. Simultaneously, the waters of Lake Chapala are polluted by municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes, coming primarily from the Lerma River. The increased presence of nutrients from the pollution combined with the warmer water has been a boon to an invasive species of

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.Chirostoma'') are on the verge of extinction. Contaminated fish stock has also posed a serious threat to the health and livelihoods of people who depend on the fish for food. The drop in the lake's water level has uncovered political issues that had been hidden for many years. Its fast decay has raised concern in the surrounding areas and in the scientific community. It was the Global Nature Fund's "Threatened Lake of the Year" in 2004. By 2007 and 2008, the level of Lake Chapala had increased drastically, though the levels have yet to surpass the level in 1979, when the levels began a precipitous decline. Although it is still subject to agricultural, domestic, and industrial sources of contamination, the actual levels of hazardous materials has not been officially assessed with regularity. Although water level and quality improved due to water treatment plants along the Lerma river, in 2017 the water quality of Lake Chapala was assessed as a risk to public health. In 2018, the Lake Chapala water level was at 81.68% of capacity, up from 66.66% in 2017.

Habitat and species

The lake is a critical habitat for several species of migratory birds, such as the

American white pelican The American white pelican (''Pelecanus erythrorhynchos'') is a large Aquatic animal, aquatic soaring bird from the order (biology), order Pelecaniformes. It breeds in interior North America, moving south and to the coasts, as far as Central Amer ...

, and home to thousands of indigenous plants and animals. The Audubonistas de Laguna de Chapala holds an annual Audubon Society sponsored

Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide pop ...

. In 2006, some 117 species were identified and, in 2007, the count was 125. By January 2011, some 173 species were recorded. The subspecies ''chapalaense'' of the rough-footed mud turtle is largely restricted to Lake Chapala, while the more widespread subspecies ''murrayi'' inhabits the Lerma River basin (and some other regions in northern Mexico). The essentially harmless, semi-aquatic ''obscurus'' subspecies of the Mexican garter snake is restricted to the lake. In addition to the ''Chirostoma'' ("charales")

species flock In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

of fish, the lake and associated rivers are home to many other

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 ...

s, including several

goodeid Goodeidae is a family of teleost fish endemic to Mexico and some areas of the United States. Many species are known as splitfins. This family contains about 50 species within 18 genera. The family is named after ichthyologist George Brown Goode ...

s, a few '' Algansea'' chubs, two '' Tetrapleurodon'' lampreys, two '' Ictalurus'' catfish, the

Chapala chub The Chapala chub (''Yuriria chapalae'') is a cyprinid fish endemic to 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 ...

(''Yuriria chapalae'') and more. Several of these are highly threatened. Other aquatic species found only in the lake and associated water systems are four cambarid crayfish: '' Cambarellus chapalanus'', '' C. lermensis'', '' C. prolixus'' and '' Procambarus digueti''.

Communities

There are numerous towns and cities along the coast of Lake Chapala, including San Juan Tecomatlan, Chapala,

Ajijic Ajijic () is a town about west from the town of Chapala, part of the municipality (also named Chapala), in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Chapala, surrounded by mountains. Ajijic enjoys a moderate climate ...

, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Jocotepec, San Juan Cosala,

San Luis Soyatlán San Luis Soyatlán () is a town located in the state of Jalisco in central-western Mexico, and is part of the municipality of Tuxcueca. It is the most populous town of the municipality, where more than 60% of the population exists, and generating ...

, Mezcala de la Asunción, Tizapan El Alto, La Palma, Michoacán and Ocotlán. According to Tony Burton in his book, "Lake Chapala through the ages: an anthology of traveller’s tales", westerners have been interested in Lake Chapala since Spanish Conquistadors first arrived uninvited in 1530. Lake Chapala tourism started in the 19th century and steadily pick up in the early 20th century. Beginning in the 1950s, because of the pleasant climate and attractive scenery, a substantial colony of retirees, including many from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, have been established along the lake's shore, particularly in the town of

, located just west of the city of Chapala but also in many other towns like San Nicolas De Ibarra, San Juan Tecomatlan and Tlachichilco Del Carmen. An estimated 30,000 foreign residents live along the shores of Lake Chapala.

References

External links

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Lake ChapalaLake Chapala Ramsar site map
Ramsar Sites Information Service {{Authority control Chapala Landforms of Jalisco Landforms of Michoacán Ramsar sites in Mexico Important Bird Areas of Mexico