THE 11 MAIN RIVERS OF SINALOA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

The rivers of Sinaloa run through the entire Mexican state. In total there are eleven rivers, the largest being the Culiacán, Fuerte and Sinaloa rivers.

All are born in the Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range to the west of the state that runs from north to south.

In pre-Hispanic times they have served for the development of life and production, being its surroundings the main habitat of the area.

Thanks to its abundant rivers, the state of Sinaloa has very fertile lands. To take advantage of all these tributaries, a large number of dams have been built. In this way, the water can be used for agricultural activities.

You may also be interested in the climate of Sinaloa.

The 3 biggest rivers

The Fuerte River is the largest and longest of all. It is born in the Sierra Madre Occidental, and goes down until it empties into the Gulf of California, passing through the municipalities of Choix, El Fuerte and Ahome. In total it has a length of 670 km.

The Sinaloa River is born and empties in the same place as the Fuerte River, but it has a shorter length, 380 km. Your tour includes the municipalities of Sinaloa and Guasave.

In ancient times, this river was known as Petatlán, a word from Aztec whose meaning is "next to the petates".

The Culiacán River, 98 km long, is formed by the Humaya (340 km) and Tamazula (180 km) rivers.

It is born in the Sierra Madre Occidental and makes its way through the municipalities of Badiraguato, Culiacán and Navolato.

The 5 rivers that flow into the sea

The Elota river is born in the Durango mountain range and flows into the sea, reaching a length of 195 km. On its way it passes through the municipalities of Cosalá and Elota.

The Piaxtla River reaches about 295 km on its way from the Sierra Madre Occidental to the sea, passing through the municipality of San Ignacio.

The Quelite river has a length of 108 km ending in the sea. On its way it passes through the municipalities of San Ignacio and Mazatlán. The flow of this river usually increases considerably during the rainy season.

The Presidio River has a length of 316 km and on its way passes through the municipalities of Mazatlán and Concordia, ending its journey at sea.

The river Baluarte, with a length of 200 km and a route that includes the municipalities of Rosario and Concordia, also empties into the sea.

The other rivers of Sinaloa: Mocorito, San Lorenzo and Cañas

The Mocorito river is born in the Sierra de los Parra and ends in the Puerto de Playa Colorada. Its length is 118 km, passing through the municipalities of Mocorito, Salvador Alvarado and Angostura.

The name of this river means "place of the dead", evoking the massacre of the natives that was carried out in that area.

The San Lorenzo River, with a length of 337 km, makes its route with a southeast course from the mountains, passing through Cosalá and Culiacán, to finally flow into the Navito River.

The Cañas river passes through the municipality of Escuinapa and has a length of 175 km. End your tour in the Teapacán estuary.

References

1. Cubas, AG (1874). Methodical atlas for teaching the geography of the Mexican Republic. Mexico: Sandoval and Vazquez.
2. INEGI. (1986). Sinaloa information notebook for planning. Mexico DF.
3. Mazatlan. (9 of 11 of 2017). Obtained from Hydrology: mazatlan.gob.mx
4. Salazar, Ó. L. (9 of 11 of 2017). The Voice of the North. Obtained from Sinalo in its eleven rivers: lavozdelnorte.com.mx
5. Wikipedia. (9 of 11 of 2017). Obtained from Sinaloa: es.wikipedia.org
6. Wikipedia. (7 of 11 of 2017). Obtained from Sinaloa: en.wikipedia.org