Huaynamota River facts for kids

The Huaynamota River is an important river located in western Mexico. It flows into the Río Grande de Santiago, which is a larger river. The Huaynamota River is found in the southern part of a big mountain range called the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Geography of the Huaynamota River

The Huaynamota River collects water from a large area called a basin. This basin covers about 17,265 square kilometers (that's a huge area!). It includes parts of four different Mexican states: Nayarit, Durango, Jalisco, and Zacatecas.

The land in the river's basin is very mountainous. The elevation, or how high the land is, ranges from 216 meters to 3,148 meters above sea level.

Where the Huaynamota Basin Is Located

The Huaynamota basin has natural borders formed by other mountain ranges. To the east, the Sierra los Huicholes mountains separate it from the Bolaños River basin. To the north, the Sierra de Valparaiso forms another border.

On the west and northwest, the basin of the San Pedro Mezquital River is next to it. Finally, the Sierra Alicia mountains mark its southern edge.

Rivers Joining the Huaynamota

The Huaynamota River has two main tributaries. Tributaries are smaller rivers or streams that flow into a larger river.

• The Jesús María River flows into the Huaynamota from the north. Its basin covers about 5,185 square kilometers.
• The Atengo River, also known as the Chapalagana, joins the Huaynamota from the east. This river drains an even larger area of 12,080 square kilometers.

The Atengo River also has its own tributaries. These include the Huajimic River and the Camotlán River. The Huajimic flows from the south, collecting water from the Sierra Alicia and Sierra Pajaritos mountains. The Camotlán River drains the eastern side of the Sierra Pajaritos and the southwestern part of the Sierra los Huicholes.

The Huaynamota River eventually flows into the Aguamilpa Reservoir. This reservoir is a large artificial lake created by the Aguamilpa Dam on the Río Grande de Santiago. The dam was built about 25 kilometers downstream from where the Huaynamota used to meet the Río Grande de Santiago.

Climate in the Huaynamota Basin

The area around the Huaynamota River gets about 600 millimeters of rain each year. Most of this rain falls during the summer months, from June to October. This is known as the wet season.

People of the Huaynamota River Area

Two main groups of indigenous people live in the Huaynamota River basin:

• The Huichol people live in the southeastern part of the basin. They make their homes in the valleys of the Atengo/Chapalagana and Camotlán rivers.
• The Cora people live in the western part of the basin. This includes the valley where the Jesús María River flows.

See also

• List of rivers of Mexico