Guanajuato River
Encyclopedia
The Guanajuato River is a tributary of the Lerma River
in the central region of Mexico
called the Bajio
(Lowlands). The river begins in the silver
-rich Guanajuato mountains near the state capital of Guanajuato
. The river is fed by a the Guanajuato river basin (in Spanish
: cuenca) (a sub-basin to the much larger Lerma–Chapala Basin) and has an area of 3,220 km², which makes up approximately 10.39% of the total area of the state. There are approximately 900,000 people living in the Guanajuato River basin area, in the municipalities of Guanajuato
, Irapuato, Romita, San Francisco del Rincon, Manuel Doblado and Pueblo Nuevo.
. It used to flood
the downtown area with alarming frequency until a dam
(Presa de la Purisima) was built in the 1960's to contain it. The famous Underground Street, officially known as Calle Miguel Hidalgo, in Guanajuato
now follows the original course of the river where it ran in tunnels underneath the city.
There is another dam above the city called the Presa de la Olla (in English
: Pot Dam). The dam, which was inaugurated in 1749, was built to create a reservoir to provide the city with a constant supply of water. Every year on the first Monday in July, the dam's floodgates are opened as part of a yearly festival (in Spanish
: Apertura de la Presa). Originally the dam was opened to clean the river which runs through the city. It is now a standing Guanajuato tradition.
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
in the central region of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
called the Bajio
Bajío
The Bajío is a region of Central Mexico that includes the plains south of the Sierra de Guanajuato, in the state of Guanajuato, as well as parts of the states of Querétaro and Michoacán .In general parlance, it is usually associated with the States of Guanajuato and Querétaro, although it only...
(Lowlands). The river begins in the silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-rich Guanajuato mountains near the state capital of Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides....
. The river is fed by a the Guanajuato river basin (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: cuenca) (a sub-basin to the much larger Lerma–Chapala Basin) and has an area of 3,220 km², which makes up approximately 10.39% of the total area of the state. There are approximately 900,000 people living in the Guanajuato River basin area, in the municipalities of Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides....
, Irapuato, Romita, San Francisco del Rincon, Manuel Doblado and Pueblo Nuevo.
History/Culture
The river used to run underneath the capital city of GuanajuatoGuanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides....
. It used to flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
the downtown area with alarming frequency until a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
(Presa de la Purisima) was built in the 1960's to contain it. The famous Underground Street, officially known as Calle Miguel Hidalgo, in Guanajuato
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city and municipality in central Mexico and the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides....
now follows the original course of the river where it ran in tunnels underneath the city.
There is another dam above the city called the Presa de la Olla (in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Pot Dam). The dam, which was inaugurated in 1749, was built to create a reservoir to provide the city with a constant supply of water. Every year on the first Monday in July, the dam's floodgates are opened as part of a yearly festival (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Apertura de la Presa). Originally the dam was opened to clean the river which runs through the city. It is now a standing Guanajuato tradition.