Lake Yuriria | |
---|---|
Location | Guanajuato, Mexico |
Coordinates | 20°14′51″N101°8′58″W / 20.24750°N 101.14944°W |
Type | Reservoir |
Native name | Laguna de Yuriria (Spanish) |
Primary inflows | canal to the Lerma River |
Primary outflows | canal to the Lerma River |
Catchment area | Lerma River |
Basin countries | Mexico |
Surface area | 7,200 ha (18,000 acres) |
Max. depth | 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Surface elevation | 1,730 m (5,680 ft) |
Settlements | Yuriria |
Official name | Laguna de Yuriria |
Designated | 2 February 2004 |
Reference no. | 1934 [1] |
Lake Yuriria (Spanish Laguna de Yuriria) is a reservoir in Guanajuato state of central Mexico. The reservoir has existed since the 16th century, and is used for irrigation of the surrounding farms. The lake is an important habitat for waterbirds, and was declared a wetland of international importance. [1]
Lake Yuriria is located in the basin of the Lerma River, in the southern portion of Guanajuato state. It lies west of the Lerma River, to which it is connected by a canal. The town of Yuriria is on the south shore of the lake, and the lake is within Yuriria Municipality.
The lake covers an area of 7200 ha, and is generally shallow, with a maximum depth of 2.6 m. [2]
The lake is linked by a canal to the Lerma River, which refills the lake during wet periods. Lake water is distributed to adjacent farms by irrigation channels during dry months. Flow to and from the Lerma is regulated by gates. [3]
Lake Cuitzeo lies to the north. Lake Cuitzeo is mostly a closed, or endorheic basin, but historically it overflowed into Lake Yuriria via an old channel. Lake Cuitzeo's water is brackish and unfit for irrigation, and by the 19th century a levee was built south of Lake Cuitzeo to prevent overflows into Lake Yuriria. [3]
The name is a shortened version Yuririapundaro, which means "lake of blood" in the Purépecha language. Prior to the Spanish conquest, the lake was part of the Purépecha Empire. [4]
The canal was constructed in 1548 at the direction of Friar Diego de Chávez, an Augustinian friar, and is among the first hydraulic engineering works in colonial America. Friar Diego de Chávez also commenced construction of the Augustinan monastery in the town of Yuriria, on the southern shore of the lake. [4] [1]
The lake is eutrophic, with low visibility (.2 meters), and abundant aquatic vegetation. [2]
The lake is an important habitat for migratory birds. 142 bird species were recorded between 1981 and 1997, of which 44 are aquatic. [5] Species include the red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), blue-winged teal (Spatula discors), American wigeon (Mareca americana), Mexican duck (Anas diazi), American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), Townsend's solitaire (Myadestes townsendi), black-vented oriole (Icterus wagleri), hooded oriole (Icterus cucullatus), and black-polled yellowthroat (Geothlypis speciosa). [1] It is designated an Important Bird Area. [5]
The land surrounding the lake is in the Bajío dry forests ecoregion. [6]
In 2004 it was designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention. The Ramsar site covers 15,020 ha, and includes the entire lake and the lands around the shore. [1]
Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato.
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Lake Pátzcuaro is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.
Yuriria, Guanajuato, Mexico,(Spanish: [ɟʝuˈɾiɾja]), is one of 46 municipalities in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
The Lerma River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a 750 km-long (470 mi) river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco. Lake Chapala is the starting point of Río Grande de Santiago, which some treat as a continuation of the Lerma River. In combination, the two are often called the Lerma Santiago River. The Lerma River is notorious for its pollution, but the water quality has demonstrated considerable improvement in recent years due mostly to government environmental programs and through massive upgrading projects of sanitation works.
Lake Cuitzeo is a lake in the central part of Mexico, in the state of Michoacán. It has an area of 300–400 km2 (120–150 sq mi). The lake is astatic, meaning the volume and level of water in the lake fluctuates frequently. It is the second-largest freshwater lake in Mexico.
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Uriangato is a city and one of 46 municipalities of Guanajuato, located just north of the border between the states of Guanajuato and Michoacán in west central Mexico. Uriangato city is geographically united with Moroleon city and Yuriria city, these three cities form a metropolitan area. Since October 2010, this metropolitan area is the 75th biggest city of Mexico and the 5th biggest in Guanajuato. It is smallest of the 56 metropolitan areas in Mexico.
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The Bajío dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in western−central Mexico.
Huandacareo is an archaeological zone located about 60 kilometers north of the city of Morelia, in the state of Michoacán.
Cuitzeo is a municipality located in the north of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipal seat is the town of Cuitzeo del Porvenir It is located in a relatively flat depression around Lake Cuitzeo, a large, very shallow lake, which is in danger of disappearing. The town was officially founded in 1550, with the founding of a large Augustinian monastery, which still stands. Today, the town is the seat of a rural municipality, providing local government to surrounding communities.
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Federal Highway 43D is a toll highway connecting the cities of Morelia, Michoacán and Salamanca, Guanajuato. It is operated by Autopista Morelia-Salamanca, S.A. de C.V. (CAMSSA), and the toll is 93 pesos to travel its 107.95-kilometre (67.08 mi) length.
The Sinaloan dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Mexico. It is the northernmost ecoregion of the Neotropical realm.
The Central Mexican wetlands is a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion in central Mexico.
Siete Luminarias is a group of seven extinct volcanoes in central Mexico, located in and around the town of Valle de Santiago in the state of Guanajuato.
Sierra de Lobos is a mountain range in Guanajuato state of central Mexico, The mountains rise north of León. The range is a protected natural area, and provides surface water, groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat, and recreation for the surrounding region.
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