por The Sinaloa rivers They travel throughout the Mexican state. In total, its rivers are eleven, the largest being the Culiacán, Fuerte and Sinaloa rivers. They are all born in the Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in the west of the state that runs from north to south.
In pre-Hispanic times they have served for the development of life and production, its surroundings being the main habitat of the area.
Thanks to its abundant rivers, the state of Sinaloa has very fertile lands. To take advantage of all these tributaries, a large number of dams have been built. In this way, the water can be used for agricultural activities.
bigger rivers
strong river
The Fuerte River is the largest and longest of all. It is born in the Sierra Madre Occidental, and goes down until it ends in the Gulf of California, passing through the municipalities of Choix, El Fuerte and Ahome. In total it has a length of 670 km.
Sinaloa River
The Sinaloa River is born and ends in the same place as the Fuerte River, but it has a shorter length, 380 km. Its tour includes the municipalities of Sinaloa and Guasave.
In ancient times, this river was known as Petatlán, a word from the Aztec whose meaning is «next to the petates».
Culiacan River
The Culiacán River, 98 km long, is formed by the Humaya (340 km) and Tamazula (180 km) rivers.
It is born in the Sierra Madre Occidental and travels through the municipalities of Badiraguato, Culiacán and Navolato.
Rivers that flow into the sea
elota river
The Elota River is born in the Sierra de Durango and flows into the sea, reaching a length of 195 km. On its way it passes through the municipalities of Cosalá and Elota.
R.Rio Piaxtla
The Piaxtla River reaches about 295 km on its route from the Sierra Madre Occidental to flow into the sea, passing through the municipality of San Ignacio.
R.io Quelite
The Quelite river has a length of 108 km ending in the sea. On its way it passes through the municipalities of San Ignacio and Mazatlán. The flow of this river usually increases considerably during the rainy season.
R.Rio Presidio
The Presidio River has a length of 316 km and in its course it passes through the municipalities of Mazatlán and Concordia, ending its journey in the sea.
R.Rio Baluarte
The Baluarte River, with a length of 200 km and a route that includes the municipalities of Rosario and Concordia, also flows into the sea.
Mocorito, San Lorenzo and Cañas
The Mocorito River is born in the Sierra de los Parra and ends at the Port of Playa Colorada. Its length is 118 km, passing through the municipalities of Mocorito, Salvador Alvarado and Angostura.
The name of this river means «place of the dead», evoking the massacre of the indigenous people that was carried out in that area.
The San Lorenzo River, with a length of 337 km, runs southeast from the mountains, passing through Cosalá and Culiacán, to finally flow into the Navito River.
The Cañas River passes through the municipality of Escuinapa and has a length of 175 km. It ends its tour in the Teapacán estuary.