Balsas
Balsas 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
- 18.20°, -100.34°
About Balsas
The Balsas River (Spanish Río Balsas, also locally known as the Mezcala or Atoyac) is a major river of south-central Mexico.
The basin flows through the states of Guerrero, México, Morelos, and Puebla. Downstream of Ciudad Altamirano, Guerrero, it forms the border between Guerrero and Michoacán. The river flows through the Sierra Madre del Sur, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. Several rapids along the course of the Balsas River limit its navigability and thus the river has been largely used for generation of hydroelectric power, flood control and irrigation.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Balsas River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Balsas in Depth
Geography and climate
The upper Balsas River basin includes the State of Puebla, the States of Mexico, Morelos, and the Guerrero Mountain Zone, as well as several river systems of the Mesa Central plateau. The main system is of the Tlapanec River, with tributaries originating in the mountains such as the Oaxaca Mixteca. It is joined by the Amacuzac River fed by streams around Xonacantapec volcano and by the San Jeronimo and Chontalcoatlan rivers. The last two rivers originate around Popocatepetl volcano and flow through the State of Morelos.
With a length of some 771 kilometers (479 mi) the Balsas River is one of Mexico's longest rivers. It originates at the confluence of the San Martin and Zahuapan Rivers as Atoyac River in the state of Puebla.
History
The Balsas River valley was possibly one of the earliest maize growing sites in Mexico, dating from around 9200 years ago. Though it is known that successive communities of Yopis, Cohuixcas, Matlatzincas, Chontales, Tlahuicas and Xochimilcas have lived in the region, archeological excavations in the area have yet to establish the hierarchical succession of the various communities. During the period 1300–1500 CE the region between the lower Balsas river valley and the Lerma-Santiago River fell under control of the Tarascan-Purépecha Empire.
According to the 1980 Census, 47,000 people lived along the Balsas river banks, spread over 37 communities, within the six municipalities of the region.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Balsas River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Balsas: Key Facts
| Length | 724 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 113,100 km² |
| Source | Mexican Plateau |
| Mouth | Pacific Ocean |
| Tributaries | Cupatitzio River, Mixteco River, Río Atoyac |
Facts from Wikidata Q1129218 (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
Balsas: Quick Answers
- Where is Balsas?
- Balsas is located in Mexico, at 18.1990° N, 100.3353° W.
- Are there dams on the Balsas?
- No dam on the Balsas is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.