The polluted Sumidero Canyon in Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico

*WS 103: The polluted Sumidero Canyon in Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico*

The Canon del Sumidero is a deep canyon located north of the city of Chiapa de Corzo in southern Mexico. It was created by a crack in the crust and subsequent erosion by the Grijalva River. The length is about 13 km, the width 1 to 2 km and the walls up to 1,000 m high. We were here on a morning in 2013, taking a boat cruise lasting 3 hours. 

The 1st photo shows the canyon near the deepest section. The 3rd shows a feature called “Christmas Tree”. The 4th looks like a devil’s face, with a stalactite shaped like a seahorse hanging over the devil’s left eye. And some wildlife: the American Crocodile, the Black Vulture and the Snowy Egret, a species of heron. 

This Grijalva River which flows through the canyon is one of the 4 most polluted rivers in Mexico. The most obvious pollution is garbage, especially plastic containers, but the un-noticed is even worse: untreated raw sewerage from several hundred thousand residents in the neighbourhood. On that morning our boat was the first to start the trip. At a certain spot on the river, where the flow was slowest, over may be a 25 m section, the river was choked with garbage. Last photo. Like the garbage pieces all cuddled together for warmth in the cold morning. On our way back there was no more such gathering, as the many boats had dispersed them. Only the early birds see such spectacle !