The Papaloapan River is one of the most important natural wonders of Mexico. It is born in the southwest of the Aztec country, in the city of San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec and its flow runs through other metropolises such as Tlacojalpan, Otatitlán, Tlacotalpan and Alvarado, extending between the states of Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.
Known among locals as "the river of butterflies" due to the etymology of its name, its waters are transported over a length of 354 kilometers, with an area of 46,517 km 2.
Rio Papaloapan, which rises in Oaxaca and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. No machine-readable author provided. Jmfa 26 assumed (based on copyright claims).. Uluapa
Its main sources converge between the Sierra Madre del Sur with the Jiquila, Salado and Hondo rivers; and with Tonto, Santo Domingo and Valle Nacional through the Sierra Madre Oriental.
This river system that flows into the Gulf of Mexico represents the second most important in the entire country, surpassed only by the Grijalva and Usumacinta river basins. The Papaloapan system is navigable 240 km upstream from Laguna de Alvarado.
Climate, flora and fauna
It has a warm climate loaded with humidity with many rains in summer and early autumn, averaging a temperature between 24 and 28 o C. It is classified as humid, rainy sub-humid and dry sub-humid, always with a high thermal sensation.
The Papaloapan River forms between the tropical jungles and temperate forests of Oaxaca. Its flora and fauna is as extensive as the average runoff of its lower basin, of 47 million cubic meters per year.
It could be defined as a green paradise full of very diverse trees: oak, cedar, ceiba, palm, amate and mahogany. These are located between mangroves, savannas, thorn scrub and grasslands that add to their wetlands, swamps and lagoons.
And such a diversity of natural scenery could only coexist with a wide range of animals, such as jaguars, armadillos, porcupines, iguanas, foxes, raccoons, deer, birds and a great variety of crustaceans belonging to more than 15 different species in the lower basin.
The waters of the Papaloapan are fast in the upper part, its most cloudy area and of agitated currents. While in the lower basin of the river there is a slower channel that constantly causes floods with the flood.
History
In the past, the river's communication routes connected commercial activities through fishing, fertilizing the land, and selling food. The economic boom for its inhabitants was so great that the Papaloapan took on an even spiritual and religious dimension, symbol of the identity of the locals.
The beauty of its landscapes captivated until it gave a sense of belonging to social groups. But not everything worked out wonderfully: At the end of the 16th century, Spanish colonization caused great changes in the lower basin of the river.
Among the epidemics, many indigenous localities disappeared, which later diversified by mixing with Spaniards and black slaves, resulting in an increase in the population of mulattoes and pardos.
From this population foundation, the Papaloapan river became a fundamental axis for commercial relations, also boosted by its roads that served as a means of transport, although some time later it ceased to be navigable due to the elevation of its bottom caused by ecological changes..
Importance
For centuries the Papaloapan River has had a cultural character that transcends its geographical extension.
Its function as a source of work for its fertile lands compensates to some extent for the reduction in fishing activity that has decreased considerably as a result of pollution.
The cocoa, natural rubber and pineapple plantations are some of the main productions that generate economic income for their inhabitants. They also keep the traditions of the original peoples in force.
The sowing of corn, beans, rice, mango, banana, tomato and chili are an important part of its productive activity, as well as the cultivation of sugar cane and cattle that have also served as self-sustaining food for field workers.
In addition to its amazing landscapes, it carries as a banner an extensive diversity and richness of natural resources that make it one of the most important rivers in Mexico, with impressive sunsets and a humid-tropical environment that merges the immensity of the jungle with the depth of the forests..
The problem of the river
Floods
Floods are one of the main problems for the people who live in the riverside communities of the Papaloapan River, which has an ordinary maximum water level of 1.9 meters, a figure that is frequently exceeded by its flood.
These are caused by the intense rains that occur throughout the area covered by the hydrographic basin. The authorities and civil protection in the region maintain prevention and evacuation programs throughout the year to prevent floods from worsening.
The most affected areas are the riverine populations located in the vicinity of the lower basin.
Contamination
But beyond the uncontrollable effects of mother nature, it is pollution that has rigged the essence of the Papaloapan River to the greatest extent.
The drainage of sewage, garbage and waste that flows into it from the people who inhabit the cities that surround it, have greatly deteriorated the purity of its waters, generating drastic changes and profound damage to health.
Toxic discharges from large industries have raised the voices of the media and communities. Mainly the oil industry, along with a brewery, sugar factories, ethanol factories and food and fruit processors are responsible for the damage.
Also the erosion caused by poor livestock, which causes the riverbed to carry plant biomass contaminated with animal manure, waste laden with antibiotics, chemicals and hormones that are harmful to the naturalness of this water system.
Among the inhabitants of the communities who value the aesthetics of the landscapes and all the elements of the Papaloapan River as an indispensable entity of nature, they have raised protests and called for a significant change to eradicate pollution. Your requests are still awaiting a solution.
References
- Crustacean diversity in the lower basin of the Papaloapan River, Veracruz, Mexico. Miranda-Vidal, José Francisco, Barba-Macías, Everardo, Trinidad-Ocaña, Cinthia, & Juárez-Flores, Juan. Hidrobiológica, 26 (3), 475-482 (2016).
- Agro-aquaculture technology in the lower basin of the Papaloapan river, Olguín P., C; M del C. Álvarez A. and A. Asiain H. Natural Resources Management Network and Rockefeller Foundation (1999).
- Landscape and identity. The Papaloapan River, functional and symbolic element of the landscapes of Sotavento, Thiébaut, Virginie, LiminaR, Estudios Sociales y Humanísticos, vol. XI, no 2. (2013).
- Change in vegetation cover and vulnerability to flooding in the lower reaches of the Papaloapan River, Veracruz. Azucena Pérez Vega / Mario Arturo Ortiz Pérez. Geographical Research (Mx), August, number 048 (2002).
- Official website of the Government of Mexico, section searches of Procedures, information and citizen participation.