Cuatro Ciénegas () is a city in the northern Mexican

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

. 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for "four

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

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 semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

and lakes. Archeological excavations indicate settlement in the area from approximately 5000 years ago, as well as ritual use of

peyote The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar cocoon", from a root , "to glisten". p. ...

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), known as Venustiano Carranza, was a Mexican land owner and politician who served as President of Mexico from 1917 until his assassination in 1920, during the Mexican Re ...

President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

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, funga, or features of geologic ...

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

endorheic An endorheic basin ( ; also endoreic basin and endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water (e.g. rivers and oceans); instead, the water drainage flows into permanent ...

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

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) 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 bee ...

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. NASA has stated that the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin could have strong links to discovering life on

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, 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 only 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 foun ...

to the valley and its surrounding mountains (e.g., '' Fouquieria shrevei''). Among the many aquatic species in the Reserve are three

turtles (

Coahuilan box turtle The Coahuilan box turtle (''Terrapene coahuila''), also known commonly as the aquatic box turtle, is an Endangered species, endangered species of turtle in the Family (biology), family Emydidae. Unlike the other members of the genus ''Terrapene'', ...

, Cuatro Ciénegas slider and Cuatro Cienegas softshell), eight endemic fish ( Minckley's cichlid, Cuatro Cienegas shiner, Tufa darter, Bolson pupfish, Cuatro Cienegas pupfish, Cuatrociengas gambusia, Cuatrocienegas killifish and northern platyfish), and several endemic crustaceans and

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

s, especially

hydrobiid Hydrobiidae, commonly known as mud snails, is a large cosmopolitan family of very small freshwater and brackish water snails with an operculum, in the order Littorinimorpha.MolluscaBase eds. (2024). MolluscaBase. Hydrobiidae W. Stimpson, 1865. ...

freshwater snails. Live

stromatolite Stromatolites ( ) or stromatoliths () are layered Sedimentary rock, sedimentary formation of rocks, formations (microbialite) that are created mainly by Photosynthesis, photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing micr ...

s inhabit Cuatro Ciénegas' pools. These are colonies of certain types of

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria ( ) are a group of autotrophic gram-negative bacteria that can obtain biological energy via oxygenic photosynthesis. The name "cyanobacteria" () refers to their bluish green (cyan) color, which forms the basis of cyanobacteri ...

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

in most of the world, linked to the origin of an oxygen rich atmosphere over 3 billion years ago. A tiny

copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

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 Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. 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 orthop ...

, leading one local bacterial species, '' Bacillus coahuilensis'', to acquire the genes necessary to partially replace its membrane

phospholipid Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...

s with sulfolipids through

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). HGT is an important factor in the e ...

. Several environmental conservation leaders are working to protect the valley, including Pronatura Noreste. 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) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

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 an inorganic salt with the chemical formula . It occurs in several hydrated forms; the anhydrous state (known as anhydrite) is a white crystalline solid often found in evaporite deposits. Its dihydrate ...

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

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

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 made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

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 material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...

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.

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 1800 establishments in New Spain