Candelaria (river)
| Río Candelaria | ||
 |
||
| Data | ||
| location | Guatemala , Mexico | |
| River system | Río Candelaria | |
| source |
Peten ( Guatemala ) 17 ° 40 ′ 40 ″ N , 90 ° 16 ′ 10 ″ W. |
|
| Source height | approx. 120 m | |
| muzzle |
Laguna de Términos ( Mexico ) Coordinates: 18 ° 37 ′ 1 " N , 91 ° 14 ′ 42" W 18 ° 37 ′ 1 " N , 91 ° 14 ′ 42" W |
|
| Mouth height | 0 m | |
| Height difference | approx. 120 m | |
| Bottom slope | approx. 0.3 ‰ | |
| length | 402 km | |
| Catchment area | 9228 km² | |
| Big cities | Ciudad del Carmen | |
| Small towns | Candelaria | |
The Río Candelaria is a 400 km long river in Mesoamerica , which rises in Guatemala and flows into the Laguna de Términos , where the fresh water of the flowing rivers mixes with the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico .
course
The strongly meandering Río Candelaria rises - depending on the rainfall - at varying heights (max. Approx. 120 m) in the hills of the Peten in northern Guatemala and then flows in western and northern directions through the primeval forest landscapes of northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico, which have long been virtually untouched by humans .
Tributaries
Several smaller tributaries flow into it ( Río La Esperanza , Río Caribe , Río La Joroba and Río Toro ). Because of the flat landscape around it, it cannot be dammed.
history
The river banks once belonged to the settlement area of the lowland Maya . In 1525, the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés undertook an expedition through southeast Mexico towards Honduras . On the banks of the Río Candelaria near Itzamkanac , he is said to have executed the last Aztec ruler Cuauhtémoc and his company. Today, large areas of the shore (especially in Mexico) are used for agriculture.
Attractions
Several smaller to medium-sized Maya sites line the banks of the Río Candelaria - the largest is Itzamkanac (approx. 23 km southeast of the small town of Candelaria ).
