Usumacinta River

The Usumacinta in Tabasco, Mexico.

Template: Infobox River / Obsolete

The Río Usumacinta is the largest river in Central America; it forms the border between Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas.

Geography

The Río Usumacinta is located in the southeast of Mexico and in the North West of Guatemala and is about 560 km long - along with its source tributaries, there are more than 1,000 km. The headwaters of the Río Usumacinta are the Río La Pasión and the Río Salinas ( also Rio Chixoy ), both of which have their origin in Guatemala. In the further course of the Río Usumacinta crosses the Mexican state of Tabasco; in the flat area north of Jonuta it divides into three estuaries on: The eastern is called Río Palizada and flows south of Ciudad del Carmen in the Laguna de Términos; the middle estuary is called Río San Pedro y San Pablo and flows straight north, near the coast, it forms a natural border to the Yucatan Peninsula; The western arm, the Río Chico and San Antonio, connects northeast of Villahermosa with the coming of the southwest Río Grijalva and together they flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

Cities

At the Usumacinta there are no major settlements on the Guatemalan side. In Mexico, the places Tenosique, Balancán, Emiliano Zapata and Jonuta be mentioned.

History

Already at the time of the Maya - probably even earlier - made ​​the Río Usumacinta one of the main lifelines and communication channels in the Maya lowlands. You will find the ancient Mayan sites Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras on its banks.

In the time of the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996), the flow of many refugees were crossing, who felt threatened by both government forces and on the part of the rebels. In addition, economic factors played a role, as many hoped for a better life in Mexico.

Economy

Since the 19th century logs were floated on the Usumacinta; this use is, however, declined sharply since the end of the 20th century. In the 1980s, the idea of a dam to generate electricity has been touted, but that project was dropped again because of the rebels on Guatemalan side and because of the increasing archaeological interest as well as ecological awareness. Thus, the lower course of the Usumacinta served temporarily as a scenic highlight of the tourist boat tours, but remained some uncertainty about predatory gangs exist.

Fauna

In the fish-rich Usumacinta and its two major headwaters still live a few river crocodiles and river turtles. For birdwatchers the riparian forests also provide interesting observation opportunities. However, the dense forest on both sides of the river should not obscure the fact that large areas are used in the hinterland as pasture and arable land.