Papaloapan River

{{Infobox river

| name = Papaloapan River

| name_native =

| name_native_lang =

| name_other =

| name_etymology =

| image = Rio Papaloapan 2.JPG

| image_caption =

| map = Papaloapanrivermap.png

| map_size =

| map_caption = Map of the Papaloapan River drainage basin before construction of the Cerro de Oro Dam

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_map_size =

| pushpin_map_caption=

| subdivision_type1 = Country

| subdivision_name1 = Mexico

| subdivision_type2 = States

| subdivision_name2 = Oaxaca, Veracruz

| subdivision_type3 = Cities

| subdivision_name3 = Tuxtepec, Otatitlán, Tlacojalpan, Chacaltianguis, Cosamaloapan, Carlos A. Carrillo, Amatitlán, Tlacotalpan, Alvarado

| subdivision_type4 =

| subdivision_name4 =

| subdivision_type5 =

| subdivision_name5 =

| length = {{convert|354|km|mi|abbr=on}}

| width_min =

| width_avg =

| width_max =

| depth_min =

| depth_avg =

| depth_max =

| discharge1_location=

| discharge1_min =

| discharge1_avg =

| discharge1_max =

| source1 = Río Grande (Oaxaca)

| source1_location =Santa María Yavesía, Oaxaca

| source1_coordinates=

| source1_elevation = {{convert|3700|m|abbr=on}}

| mouth = Gulf of Mexico

| mouth_location = Alvarado municipality, Veracruz

| mouth_coordinates =

| mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}}

| progression =

| river_system =

| basin_size = {{convert|46517|km2|abbr=on}}

| tributaries_left =

| tributaries_right =

| custom_label =

| custom_data =

| extra =

}}

The Papaloapan River ({{Langx|es|Río Papaloapan}}) is one of the main rivers of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Its name comes from the Nahuatl papaloapan meaning "river of the butterflies".{{Cite journal|last=Brasseur de Bourbourg|first=Charles Étienne|author-link=Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg|date=1860|title=Cartas para servir de introducción a la historia primitiva de las naciones civilizadas de la América Septentrional|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TzQhAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA336|journal=Boletín de la Sociedad Mexicana de Geografía y Estadística|volume=VIII|page=336}}

In 1518 Juan de Grijalva's expedition spotted the river, naming it Río de Alvarado.Diaz, B., 1963, The Conquest of New Spain, London: Penguin Books, {{ISBN|0140441239}}{{rp|34}} The Papaloapan rises in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca on the border between the states of Veracruz and Oaxaca. It is formed where the Santo Domingo River and the Valle Nacional River join to the southwest of San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec in Oaxaca. The Tonto River is another major tributary.

The Papaloapan meanders for {{convert|122|km|abbr=on}} in a northeasterly direction through the coastal plain before draining into Alvarado Lagoon.{{cite web

|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/441869/Papaloapan-River

|title=Papaloapan River

|work=Encyclopædia Britannica

|access-date=2010-07-03}}

The river basin covers {{convert|46517|sqkm|abbr=on}}, the second largest in Mexico, and contains 244 municipalities with a population of about 3.3 million people.{{cite web

|url=http://www.bnamericas.com/news/waterandwaste/State_governors_agree_on_actions_to_develop_Papaloapan_river_basin

|title=State governors agree on actions to develop Papaloapan river basin - Mexico

|date=April 28, 2006

|author=Robin Brundell

|work=Business News Americas

|access-date=2010-07-03}}

The cities of San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec and Tlacotalpan (Veracruz) are situated on the banks of the Papaloapan.

In the past the Papaloapan river basin was subject to frequent flooding, with the damage sometimes compounded by cyclones. A particularly severe flood in September 1944 covered {{convert|470000|ha|acre|lk=on}}, with great loss of life and property. The Miguel Alemán Dam on the Tonto river reduced the problem, but further floods occurred after it had been completed in 1955. A flood in 1958 covered {{convert|195000|ha|acre|abbr=on}} and one in 1969 covered {{convert|340000|ha|acre|abbr=on}}.

Meanwhile, the drainage capacity of the Papaloapan river was being reduced by silt carried by the Santo Domingo river.

Construction of the Cerro de Oro Dam in 1989 on the Santo Domingo river reduced the extent of floods to a manageable level.{{cite journal

|url=http://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin72d.pdf

|title=Some Problems of the Papaloapan River Basin

|author=Gerardo Cruickshank

|journal=Proceedings of University Seminar on Pollution and Water Resources

|publisher=Columbia University

|year=1972

|access-date=2010-06-30}}

The states of Oaxaca and Veracruz are cooperating in developing the river basin. Plans include irrigation to improve agricultural production, promotion of forestry and fish farming and improvements to roads and river navigation. The planned projects will be designed to avoid ecological damage. Environmental damage has been the subject of considerable study.Patrick H. Cosby, "Leviathan in the Tropics: A postcolonial environmental history of the Papaloapan Projects in Mexico." PhD diss. University of Florida 2011.