Nazas River facts for kids
The Nazas River is an important river in northern Mexico. It flows through the states of Coahuila and Durango. This river is special because it's part of an endorheic basin called the Bolsón de Mapimí. This means its water doesn't flow into the ocean but instead stays within the land, often ending in lakes or drying up.
Even though the Nazas River is only about 560 kilometers (348 miles) long, it helps water a huge area of 71,906 square kilometers (27,763 square miles) in the middle of the desert! Other rivers like the San Juan, Ramos, and Tepehuanes also feed into the Nazas. The river begins high up in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. The original people of the area called this river Tlahualilo, which means "fertile land water for irrigation" in their Nahuatl language.
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How the River Got Its Name
The Nazas River got its name from the Spaniards when they arrived in Mexico in the early 1500s. They saw the local people fishing in the river using special basket-like tools. In Spanish, these fishing baskets were called 'nasa'. So, the Spaniards started calling it the 'river of nazas', and the name stuck!
Plants and Animals of the Nazas River
The area around the Nazas River is mostly desert, but it has a special green zone right along the riverbanks called a riparian zone. Many different kinds of plants and animals live in the Nazas Basin. You can find various native succulent plants, which are plants that store water, like the ocotillo. The river is also home to several types of freshwater fish, including a unique fish called Notropis nazas.
Where the River Flows and Its Importance
The Nazas River acts like a natural border between two big cities: Gómez Palacio in Durango and Torreón in Coahuila. The city of Torreón even got its name from a tower (a "torreón" in Spanish) that was built long ago to watch the river's water level from far away.
Since the mid-1800s, the Nazas River has been one of the most important natural resources for developing the Laguna Region. Its waters are now held back by two large dams in Durango: the Francisco Zarco Dam and the Lázaro Cárdenas Dam. These dams have greatly reduced how much water used to flow freely down the river. However, the state of Coahuila still gets a fair share of the water each year, thanks to an agreement between the state governments.
As it flows, the Nazas River also fills smaller water bodies, such as the Palmito Dam near Torreón and the Santiaguillo lagoons. The river eventually ends in what used to be the Mayrán Lagoon and the Caimán Lakes in the Tlahualilo region, though these areas are now mostly dry.
Every year, there's a fun amateur kayak competition on the Nazas River. People paddle between the cities of Rodeo and Lerdo in Durango.
See also
- List of longest rivers of Mexico
