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 ...
in southeastern
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 ...
.
["Grijalva." '']Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary
''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary'' (''Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', ''Webster's New Geographical Dictionary'') is a gazetteer
A gazetteer is a geographical Reference work, index or Directory (databases), directory used in co ...
'', 3rd ed. 2001. () Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc., p. 450. It is named after
Juan de Grijalva who visited the area in 1518.
The river rises from Río Grande de Chiapas in southeastern Chiapas and flows from
Chiapas
Chiapas (; Tzotzil and 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 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 124 municipalities ...
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 into the
Bay of Campeche
The Bay of Campeche ( es, Bahía de Campeche), or Campeche Sound, is a 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 Mexican states of Campeche, ...
. Begins as "Río Grande de Chiapas" or "Río Mezcalapa", later, Río Grande is stopped at the
Angostura Dam (Mexico), 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 two combine, flowing into the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an 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 the United ...
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 Grijalva-Usumacinta River.
Río Grande de Chiapas rises into
Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, Guatemala;
in Guatemala receives the name "
Selegua River" and also is a large river.
After flowing from
Nezahualcoyotl Lake, 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 an ...
Malpaso Dam, 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 municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because o ...
(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
MalpasoDam18.JPG, Malpaso Dam
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 municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because o ...
.
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
References
Rivers of Chiapas
Rivers of Tabasco
Petén–Veracruz moist forests
{{Mexico-river-stub