Usumacinta River

The Usumacinta River is a major waterway in North America. It flows through southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala. This river serves as a natural boundary between the two nations. It is the only visible natural border separating the Yucatán Peninsula from the rest of Mexico. The river takes its name from the howler monkey. Its total length, including the Salinas, Chixoy, and Negro rivers, is approximately 1,000 kilometers.

The river begins through the junction of two main sources. The Pasión River rises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz in Guatemala. The Salinas River, also called the Rio Chixoy or Rio Negro, descends from the Sierra Madre de Guatemala. These waters join to form the Usumacinta. The river then defines part of the border between Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas. It follows a northwesterly course through the landscape. Eventually, it meanders through the Mexican state of Tabasco toward the Gulf of Mexico.

As the river travels, it creates very different geological features. It passes through the Cañón del Usumacinta, which is an ecological reserve. In this area, the river forms impressive canyons. One specific canyon is named "Boca del Cerro," located near Tenosique. After leaving the canyon, the river enters the flat plains of Tabasco. Here, the river splits into two distributaries. These are the Palizada River and the San Pedro y San Pablo River. These branches flow north and east into the Laguna de Términos.

The river is also famous for a massive wetland system. In Tabasco, the Grijalva River flows into the Usumacinta. This meeting of waters happens at a place called Tres Brazos in Centla. This confluence creates the Pantanos de Centla. This region is a designated biosphere reserve. It is the largest protected wetland region in North and Central America. It also ranks among the top 15 largest wetlands in the world.

History shows the river has always been a vital corridor. The ancient Maya civilization used the river and its tributaries for trade. Two powerful cities from the Maya Classic Period, Yaxchilan and Piedras Negras, sit along its banks. Before the Mexican government built the Border Highway in the early 1990s, the river was the primary way to travel through the jungle. People even used the current to float huge hardwood tree trunks downriver to Tabasco. In the 1980s, the river also became a route for Guatemalan refugees seeking safety in Mexico.

Efforts to protect the river began in the 1950s. Frans and Trudi Blom proposed reserving a section of the Selva Lacandona for the Lacandon Maya. They believed that protecting indigenous culture and natural habitats were linked. In the 1980s, a large hydroelectric project was proposed for Boca del Cerro. This project would have flooded many Maya sites, including Piedras Negras and Yaxchilan. However, the project failed due to many factors. These included siltation, geology, seismic activity, and political issues.

Public interest in the river grew through writing and tourism. An article by Jefferey Wilkerson in National Geographic in 1985 brought the river to public attention. This helped start a seasonal business in wilderness tourism. People began visiting to see wildlife, birds, and ancient archaeology. However, this tourism faced challenges later. The Zapatista Rebellion in 1994 and the Guatemalan peace accords in 1996 changed the political landscape. Following these events and a fall in the value of the peso, crime increased. Bandits began robbing raft trips, which ended wilderness tourism in that corridor for a time. The region faced many years of instability and illegal activity, including illegal logging and smuggling.