Coatzacoalcos River

Coatzacoalcos
Approaching the mouth of the river from the Gulf of Mexico. The city of Coatzacoalcos is to starboard, and Allende to port. (2011)
Location of mouth
Etymology	"where serpent hides" (Nahuatl)
Location
Country	Mexico
State	Oaxaca, Veracruz
Region	Isthmus of Tehuantepec
Cities	Matías Romero, Minatitlán, Nanchital, Coatzacoalcos
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	16°56′44″N 94°37′1″W / 16.94556°N 94.61694°W / 16.94556; -94.61694
Mouth
• coordinates	18°9′56″N 94°24′50″W / 18.16556°N 94.41389°W / 18.16556; -94.41389
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	325 km (202 mi)
Basin size	17,563 km2 (6,781 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	1,163 m3/s (41,100 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Sarabia, Jaltepec
• right	El Corte, Uxpanapa
[1]

The Coatzacoalcos is a large river that feeds mainly the south part of the state of Veracruz; it originates in the Sierra de Niltepec and crosses the state of Oaxaca in the region of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, flowing for 325 kilometres (202 miles)^[1][2] toward the Gulf of Mexico. Tributaries include El Corte, Sarabia, Jaltepec, Chalchijalpa, El Chiquito, Uxpanapa, and Calzadas. The merging of all these rivers creates one of the largest current flows in the entire region. Two-thirds of the streams are navigable.

Juan de Grijalva's 1518 expedition encountered the river.^[3]: 34 Hernán Cortés sent Diego de Ordaz to explore the river as a possible port.^{[3]: 266–268}