Usumacinta
Usumacinta is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 17.48°, -91.51°
About Usumacinta
The Usumacinta River (Spanish pronunciation: [usumaˈsinta]; named after the howler monkey) is a river in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. It is formed by the junction of the Pasión River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas River, also known as the Rio Chixoy, or the Rio Negro, which descends from the Sierra Madre de Guatemala. It defines part of the border between Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas, then continues its northwesterly course, meandering through the Mexican state of Tabasco to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Usumacinta River enters Mexican territory in the state of Tabasco and across the Cañón del Usumacinta (Usumacinta Canyon) ecological reserve, forming impressive canyons along its route. Passing the canyon called "Boca del Cerro", Tenosique, the Usumacinta goes into the plain of Tabasco.
Two distributaries, the Palizada River and San Pedro y San Pablo River, branch from the main stem of the Usumacinta and empty north and east into the Laguna de Términos. In Tabasco the Grijalva River flows into the Usumacinta River.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Usumacinta River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Usumacinta in Depth
History
The river and its tributaries were important trade routes for the ancient Maya civilization. Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras, two of the most powerful cities of the Maya Classic Period, lie along its banks. Because of artistic similarities between Yaxchilan and Chinkultic, another Maya site, there seems to have been some sort of artistic communication between this region and western Maya sites.
Before roads, such as the Border Highway constructed by the Mexican Government in the early 1990s, penetrated the jungle, the river was the only means of travel in this region. Huge trunks of hardwood trees were floated downriver to the state of Tabasco.
In the 1980s, many Guatemalan refugees fled across the river to relative safety in Mexico.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Usumacinta River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Usumacinta: Key Facts
| Length | 560 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 7 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 106,000 km² |
| Mouth | Grijalva River |
| Tributaries | Pasión River, Chixoy River, San Pedro River, Salinas River |
Facts from Wikidata Q1139679 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Usumacinta: Quick Answers
- Where is Usumacinta?
- Usumacinta is located in Mexico and Guatemala, at 17.4773° N, 91.5081° W.
- Are there dams on the Usumacinta?
- No dam on the Usumacinta is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.