Maps and Travel Information
It is quite difficult to assemble river information about Mexico. Rivers often change names at each town they pass through. Maps are often incorrect. Even when in Mexico, information remains difficult to obtain. Ask locals about a river and you are likely to get all sorts of answers. Since they hate to disappoint you, they may tell you all about a section of river they know nothing about. Recognize that very few of them are river runners, so that when they do know information, their answers typically lack any details.
The book is organized according to the seven geographic regions shown on the map on page 23. Under each regional heading there are entries for each of the rivers about which I have information. Using topographic maps I have calculated lengths and average gradients for the runs I describe. In some cases where I have more information, I also include more detailed information on specific segments of the river. I have summarized this information in tables for each river section, as shown in the example for Río Las Palmas below. Local names for villages, cities or geographic features at or near the put-ins and take-outs are given. Some of the villages are only a dozen or so houses and may not be listed on large scale maps. For specific segments of the river with steeper gradients, I have called out particular details in subsequent rows of the table, usually with a canyon name. Distances are given in metric measurements first, since those are what will be found on Mexican maps.
- Copyright ©2001, Sage Mesa Publications. All rights reserved.