Sierra Madre de Chiapas
The Sierra Madre de Chiapas (also: Sierra Madre de Soconusco ) is an approximately 200 km long mountain range in the state of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico . It connects to the east of the isthmus of Tehuantepec and runs in a south-easterly direction via Guatemala and El Salvador to Honduras , where it is commonly referred to as Sierra Madre .
geography
The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is part of the volcanic mountain ranges ( Cordilleras ) in the west of the American double continent and reaches heights of over 3000 m , in places even over 4000 m (volcanoes Tacaná and Tajumulco ). The mountain range separates the catchment areas of the Río Mezcalapa , a tributary of the Río Grijalva , which flows into the Bahía de Campeche , from those of the coastal rivers ( Río Suchiate and others), whose length hardly exceeds 50 km, which flows into the Pacific Ocean .
population
The population of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas consists of different Maya tribes, of which the Quiché and the Mam are the most numerous and important (see also Maya languages ).
history
Around 1400 the area came under Aztec control; The many landscape names and place names in the Nahuatl language also originate from this time . In the years 1523/4 the area was conquered by the Spanish conquistadors under the leadership of Pedro de Alvarados .
economy
Popular trade items in the pre-colonial period were cocoa, bird feathers and real cotton ( kapok ). Today coffee is grown at altitudes of up to around 1000 meters .
Attractions
Apart from many scenic beauties and a diverse fauna and flora, the Sierra Madre de Chiapas with the archaeological zone of Izapa offers one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in southern Mexico. In the highlands of Guatemala, the late Mayan sites of Iximché , Q'umarkaj and Mixco Viejo should be mentioned.
See also
- Sierra Madre (disambiguation)
Web links
Coordinates: 15 ° 2 ′ N , 91 ° 54 ′ W